MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

World Cups 2018/2022 corruption claims widens; FIFA asks for evidence

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke

FIFA has requested evidence from England's Football Association following claims from its former chairman of corruption by four top-level members of world soccer's governing body.

It has also asked The Sunday Times newspaper to provide details about further claims that two more FIFA executive committee members were paid $1.5 million to vote for Qatar's successful bid to host the 2022 World Cup.

David Triesman was head of England's failed bid to host the 2018 tournament before standing down after being secretly taped by a reporter last May making accusations against rival candidate nations Spain and Russia.

On Tuesday, the former FA chairman told a British parliamentary committee that Jack Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi had all sought favors in order to secure England's vote.

The Sunday Times also submitted evidence to the UK House of Commons hearing alleging that FIFA vice-president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon and Jacques Anouma from the Ivory Coast were paid by Qatar.

FIFA has already suspended executive members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii following similar accusations ahead of last December's World Cup ballot. Nigeria's Adamu is trying to overturn his three-year suspension from all football activities at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

FIFA said on Wednesday that its secretary general Jerome Valcke had written to Football Association chairman David Bernstein asking for a complete report from Triesman on the statements that he made as well as “any and all documentary evidence at his disposal in relation to those statements.”

“He has also sent a letter to The Sunday Times to ask the newspaper to provide FIFA with any piece of evidence with regard to the statements made to MP John Whittingdale,” FIFA said in a statement on its website.

Valcke said in his letter that FIFA and its president Sepp Blatter were concerned about the accusations, and had also asked for a full record of Triesman's testimonies in the House of Commons.

The ruling body stated that it believed The Sunday Times “had already provided all of the evidence and documentation at its disposal” before these latest allegations.

“Nevertheless, FIFA asks the English newspaper to submit as soon as possible any other piece of evidence that it may be in possession of and which has not yet been sent to FIFA,” it said.

“In particular, reference is made in the letter to the allegations regarding a 'whistleblower who had worked with the Qatar bid,' and who allegedly made some declarations regarding the matter in question.”

Mohamed Bin Hammam, who is Blatter's only rival at next month's presidential elections, denied on Wednesday that his native country had offered any such bribes.

“I can assure you nothing like this has happened from our side. If someone wants to damage reputations like this then they have to provide the proof,” the president of the Asian Football Confederation told the UK Press Association.

“You can't just accuse people just like that. It didn't happen. It is fine to say something, to try to damage the reputation of somebody, but where is the proof?”

Warner, accused by Triesman of demanding £2.5 million ($4 million) to build an education center in Trinidad, has also denied any wrongdoing.

“I never asked anybody for anything. When these guys came here, we promised to help,” the 68-year-old told Trinidad newspaper Newsday.

”I showed them a place where they can put a playground. They promised to come back but they never did. That's all”.