FBI investigating Sepp Blatter’s role in $100m bribes scandal

Sepp Blatter is being investigated by the FBI over the US$100m ISL bribes scandal, according to BBC Panorama.

Panorama said that during the 1990s, FIFA’s now defunct sports marketing company ISL paid that sum in bribes to numerous officials including former FIFA president Joao Havelange and Brazil’s former FIFA member Ricardo Teixeira, who was indicted by US authorities on corruption charges last week.

According to Panorama, a letter apparently written by Havelange suggests Blatter, who is currently suspended from his position as FIFA president, was aware of the payments but took no action.

The letter quoted by Panorama says: “I emphasise that Mr Blatter had full knowledge of all activities” and was “always apprised” of them.

The letter is included in an FBI request to the Swiss authorities for help with their investigation, asking for the ISL file and the request states “among other things, the prosecutor is investigating Havelange’s statements implicating Blatter.”

The programme, to be screened on Monday, also claims Qatar spent £117m on its 2022 World Cup bid.

It quotes former England 2018 bid chairman Lord Triesman saying he was given the figure by sources close to British intelligence.

Triesman said: “I was told by two sources that have always been very reliable with good information, good intelligence that the sum that Qatar had spent on their bid was £117m.”

England spent £21m on its bid for the 2018 World Cup and the USA about £10m on its 2022 bid.