Watchdog may investigate whether BBC money was used for "corrupt practices" at FIFA

The BBC watchdog is considering demands to investigate whether licence fee-payers' money was used for "corrupt practices" at Fifa after coming under fire from MPs for inaction over the scandal.

BBC Trust chairman Rona Fairhead said it was a "fair challenge" after being pressed to explain why no probe had been launched into the use of World Cup broadcast rights payments or links between Corporation executives and football's scandal-ridden governing body.

She was careful not to promise a formal inquiry during a grilling by the Commons culture, media and sport committee, but said she would "look at what we could do and what would be sensible to do".

Ex-BBC director general Greg Dyke has condemned broadcasters for failing to follow the lead of corporate sponsors by using their influence to increase the pressure for reforms at Fifa.

The BBC and ITV have a deal to show the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals.

Committee chairman Jesse Norman demanded to know why no investigation had been conducted by the Trust into whether public money "might have been helping to fund this kind of malfeasance".

Ms Fairhead and Trust director Alex Towers both questioned how the fate of particular payments could be traced, Mr Towers asking the Tory MP: "What would you have us investigate?"

"Do we regard Fifa's behaviour as acceptable? That is not something we have taken a position on," he said.

"The BBC has made programmes about it, clearly. But it is not something we as the BBC Trust are investigating."

In tetchy exchanges, Mr Norman shot back: "You don't seem to recognise the problem at all.

"The question you might want to ask is 'has any public money or any of our money for the BBC been involved in any of these crimes, as they now appear to be, as part of the sale of sports rights?'."

Pressed repeatedly on the issue, Ms Fairhead said: "Clearly if that behaviour has happened it is not acceptable in any sport. I think that's clear.

"I think if there was any move for monies to be returned to people who paid then we would look into whether it would provide value for money.

"We will look and see if there is anything that can be done but obviously it has to be done on behalf of the licence fee payer and if it is a question of 'is it appropriate for any monies to be returned' then we will pursue that."

When Mr Norman suggested she had agreed to an investigation, she told him: "No. I am going to look at what we could do and what would be sensible to do,"

Asked if the BBC did not have a duty to ensure its money was not being misused, she said: "That's a fair challenge. And we should not be paying public money if they are using it for corrupt practices."

But she told the committee: "I think you rely on the bodies to ensure that that hasn't been used for corrupt practices."

Tory MP Damian Collins called for the Trust to "look at the way BBC contracts with Fifa have been renewed, who has been responsible for that and also what relations BBC executives have with executives at Fifa in terms of hospitality, entertainment".