Blatter talks of "destabilisation" campaign

Sepp Blatter has responded to bribery allegations relating to his election as FIFA president by saying they are part of a "destabilisation and defamation campaign against him".

Thursday's Daily Mail newspaper alleged that bribes of $100,000 were paid to persuade FIFA members to vote for Blatter in the election before the 1998 World Cup in France.

"I am not surprised to learn of such an article at this time," Blatter said in a statement on FIFA's web site on Thursday. "It is part of a destabilisation and defamation campaign against my person that has been ongoing for some time.

"For the past few weeks, FIFA has been aware of the fact that respective documents have been launched intentionally.

"I have expressed myself several times and in full length to all allegations in connection with the election in 1998."

European soccer chief Lennart Johansson had earlier called for the allegations to be investigated fully.

"We have to thoroughly investigate the statements made today and printed in Britain with names and sworn statements for the first time, that the vote for the presidency in 1998 was rigged," the 66-year-old UEFA president told Reuters on Thursday from his hotel in Tokyo.

"I would like this investigation to be part of an internal investigation, already set up, which was called to examine FIFA's finances following the collapse of ISL last year.

"I must make it clear that although I was beaten in the presidential vote four years ago, I am not bitter about losing the election, it is not the point, although if the allegations are correct it is nice to know I might have won in a fair fight.

"The point now is we have to investigate the claims made today to release FIFA from any sense of dishonesty. We must tell the world the truth about FIFA and show that FIFA is an honest organisation. It makes sense to include it in the investigation into financial matters."

Blatter won the vote 111-80 but the Daily Mail article says 18 African delegates accepted money to change their votes from Johansson to Blatter on the night before the election "after Arab backers knocked on hotel doors in the dead of night".

Blatter, also in Tokyo for a FIFA workshop, left Japan early on Thursday en route to Cyprus.

There was no suggestion in the Daily Mail story that Blatter was aware of the alleged bribery. The 2002 World Cup takes place in South Korea and Japan.

POOR PEOPLE

Johansson said: "I am not accusing anyone of anything and I do not even care to know the names of the people who allegedly took money to change their vote.

"Perhaps they were all poor people and that money would have done much to change their lives. But eventually the truth will hunt you down and will catch up with you.

"If these allegations are true, I think that the president himself, Mr Blatter, will have to make a judgment on his future. It is a matter for him to decide what to do."

Blatter is standing for re-election as president at the FIFA congress in Seoul in May, and is, so far, the only candidate. But Johansson said he was certain Blatter would be opposed.

"It will not be me," he said, "but I think you can take it there will be another candidate for the presidency."

That is likely to be Issa Hayatou of Cameroon, the president of the African Football Confederation (CAF).

Hayatou is one of the 13 members of the FIFA Executive who has called on Blatter to authorise an internal investigation of FIFA's affairs. The item is on the agenda for the FIFA Executive Committee meeting which is being held next week.

UNDER PRESSURE

Blatter has been under severe pressure from his executive to order an audit of FIFA's books following the collapse of its former marketing partner ISL-ISMM, which was declared bankrupt by a Swiss court last May with debts of $1.2 billion.

Johansson said last October that he would support his former rival for a second term. In an unusual show of solidarity between the two men Blatter backed Johansson to continue as UEFA president for another four years.

Last month, however, Johansson appeared to take a step back, saying there were "other people who could do the job".

Norway Football Association president Per Ravn Omdal, who is a member of the FIFA and UEFA executive committees, said the executive committee could look at the allegations next week.

"These rumours have been around since 1998. We have heard them many times before. I haven't said we need an investigation, and I can't call for that at this point," he said.

"There is a board meeting next week, and one of the subjects will be FIFA's economy. We may look at this in that context, but its no investigation".