Blatter to answer charge

THE three most powerful men in football will all appear before FIFA’s ethics committee tomorrow as a defining moment in the history of the world governing body approaches.

Sepp Blatter will appear at the hearing after a complaint by his rival for FIFA president Mohamed Bin Hammam, who faces a separate charge of bribery.

Also there will be Jack Warner, the FIFA vice-president, alleged along with Bin Hammam to have bribed officials in the Caribbean for their votes for next week’s elections.

Bin Hammam made a complaint last night that Blatter knew about the alleged cash payments in the Caribbean and, under their code, the ethics committee had to summon Blatter to answer that charge.

The 62-year-old Bin Hammam then announced that he had “increasing evidence” of a conspiracy to prevent him standing for president. The evidence against Blatter, however, appears to be tenuous, and FIFA observers believe the case against Bin Hammam and Warner is more damaging.

Meanwhile, a separate inquiry into claims by former FA chairman David Triesman of improper behaviour by four FIFA members during England’s 2018 World Cup bid has found evidence of several possible rule breaches.

An FA spokesman said: “Mr Dingemans has raised with the FA several outstanding issues with the current ethics code and bidding rules. The FA notes these concerns and will be raising them with FIFA in due course.”