Russia’s 2018 World Cup bid team denied offering any inducements to secure Amos Adamu’s vote before the executive committee member was suspended from duty by FIFA.
The Russians have been informed by the Sunday Times newspaper that Adamu allegedly told an undercover reporter that the bidding nation offered “co-operation” on building facilities and training players in exchange for the Nigerian’s vote in the December contest.
Adamu is already being investigated by FIFA over alleged footage published this month by the Sunday Times of London appearing to show him telling lobbyists he wanted $US800,000 ($A820,000) to build four artificial football pitches in Nigeria, and for the money to be paid to him directly.
Adamu has denied wrongdoing, while Russia’s bid team pre-empted the planned publication of the latest allegations by releasing on Saturday its e-mail exchanges with the Sunday Times and threatening legal action against the newspaper.
“During our investigation Amos Adamu, the Nigerian President of the West African football union and a committee member, told an undercover reporter that he had recently visited Moscow, where the Russian bid team offered “co-operation” in building facilities and offering training to players,” reporter Steven Swinford wrote to Russia media chief Andreas Herren on Friday. “The suggestion was that such offers would be made in exchange for his vote.”
Swinford said Adamu did not discuss any “offers of ‘co-operation’ from other bidding nations” during the sting.
Russia bid chief executive Alexey Sorokin responded on Saturday by saying: “We consider statements by Mr. Adamu as cited by The Sunday Times as speculation and unfounded.”
Sorokin did confirm that Adamu watched a series of presentations and went on venue tours during a trip to Russia from Aug. 28-31.
“We would like to categorically state that never was he approached with any offers of assistance in pitch construction or players’ training or any other partnership,” Sorokin said.
A further letter from Sorokin said Russia “reserves the right to consider legal action against The Sunday Times, should we find that contents of your articles in relation to the Russian Bid Committee for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and its bid are of defamatory nature.”
The 2018 vote on December 2 is between England, Russia and the joint bids of Belgium-Holland and Spain-Portugal.
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