Australia tried bribes with taxpayers’ money and other dirty tricks in a failed $46 million bid to host soccer’s 2022 World Cup, a report says.
And the sport’s governing body in the nation, Football Federation Australia (FFA), was “well aware” of the conduct.
The report found Australia broke bid and ethics rules, tried to buy votes of decision-makers and then cover-up its attempts.
An exhaustive report by the ethics committee of soccer’s world governing body FIFA released summary findings on Thursday night (AEDT) which were damning of Australia’s bid.
The federal government tipped in almost $46 million for Australia’s bid to host the 2022 World Cup, but Australia gained just one vote. Hosting rights were awarded to Qatar.
Australia’s bid team tried to direct some of the government funds to essentially bribe decision-makers.
“The FFA was well aware of the ramifications such a pattern of conduct might imply,” said Judge Joachim Eckert, chairman of the ethics committee’s adjudicatory chamber, in his summary of the report.
The FFA said it would contact the committee about the “next steps in the process” and review the report’s findings before further comment.
The report detailed “potentially problematic facts and circumstances” in Australia’s bid, but ruled they didn’t affect the integrity of the end vote.
The ethics committee found “a prima facie case” that two consultants to Australia’s bid violated bidding and ethics rules.
The report identified connections between financial and other support for supposed `football development’ and the bidding process.
These included Australia donating money to the Oceania Football Confederation during the bid period.
“Australia’s acquiescence helped create the appearance that benefits were conferred in exchange for a vote, thus undermining the integrity of the bidding process,” Judge Eckert said.
The FFA also made “certain payments” to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
The payments appear to have been blended, in part, with personal funds of the then CONCACAF president – at the time, a FIFA executive committee member who would ultimately vote on who hosted the cup.
Australia’s 2022 bid team attempted to divert funds the federal government had set aside for existing development projects in Africa “towards initiatives in countries with ties to FIFA executive committee members with the intention to advance its bid to host”.
“The FFA was well aware of the ramifications such a patter of conduct might imply,” Judge Eckert said.
“Nevertheless … the Australia 2022 bid team appears to have reached the conclusion to provide financial support under the title `(football) development projects’ preferably in areas home to FIFA executive committee members.”
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
I'm glad you didn't pop the Faeroe Islands into our comp, after they just beat Greece .... ;-)
Simoc
Guest
Except Oz is a very corrupt country especially NSW. Just look at the Corruption Commission. They're only just touching the surface . Telling lies and corruption is so endemic here its normal. Pretending we're good and they're bad is such an ostrich approach. Internationally Australia is known as a corrupt country.
Bondy
Guest
Martyn50 Would you like Australia to win the FIFA World Cup not hosting rights but win it outright on a pitch with our National Team ? ...
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Well, we know the AOC comprises mainly amateur sports that require 100% funding from the Federal Government. And we know the Summer Olympics are the 2nd biggest sports event in the world. I'm sure the figures are available with a FOI request.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
You're obviously living in fantasy land - read the links about how Sydney 2000 bid was mired in dubious behaviour - very close to corruption & bribery.
AR
Guest
Do you have figures for how much the Federal Govt contributed to those campaigns?
Martyn50
Guest
There's a difference between losing the bid in a fair way, and bribery coming into the situation
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
Fussie you are at your disingenuous best here, flip-flopping all over the place! Let's make it simple: Sydney Olympics was won by many strategies. Well-placed gifts and freebies were among them. It was wrong then, and it was wrong that a hastily-thrown together bid got even one cent of public money for the World Cup -- a lot of us had a very strong belief that there was no way Australia would get it. These sort of bread-and-circus sideshows pull in a lot of money for people with vested interests -- I know, because I have seen some of the organisations involved in Sydney 2000, have seen the money involved. And because I was working in the public sector, I could see the devastating effect it had on service to the people of NSW. Auditors' reports have shown that the people of NSW were dudded pure and simple -- although "the economy" may have got some benefits. As much as I love soccer, I do not want that again. We can't afford it, and we shouldn't be paying a corrupt organisation. Hopefully, FIFA will ban us from applying for the next 24 years, as a punishment for our corrupt involvement in the last bid. Can we stop corruption in such processes? Possibly not completely, but we could be a hell of a lot tighter in the way bids are scrutinised. And we can change our behaviour and make sure we don't act corruptly again.
Professor Rosseforp
Guest
No problems ... always willing to state the obvious! BTW I am a fan of Association Football, but this attempt to get the World Cup was too late, too rushed, and too measly to succeed. A lot of us recognised at the time that it was tipping money down the drain. It's not as if we didn't have expertise in sporting bribery in Australia. We had a rather big sporting event in Australia 2000 and there was quite a bit of jewellery bought for the wives of the people with the votes -- not to mention the free trips and accommodation for all the athletes.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Agree with the first point, a highlight of Brazil 2014. To sit through a WC without some shots of chiquitas is a bit like sitting through a nil-all draw.
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Are you referring to the 2022 cup?
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@AR Tax dollars were also wasted on: > Brisbane's bid for the 1992 Olympics (Yugoslavia, who were on the brink of civil war got more votes than Brisbane in R1 of votes!) > Melbourne's bid for the 1996 Olympics (Toronto lasted longer in the bidding process than the alleged "sports capital of the world")
Cpaaa
Guest
AR, This was our first attempt at the WC bid and how true, we just got 1 vote and knocked out first. Would you have felt satisfied if we had come 2nd, because the result would have been the same, we didnt win? The most amazing part to all this is that we are still talking about it and we will continue to talk about it all the way to the year 2022 and beyond perhaps. you said " I mean, as far as “waste” goes, this was a pretty ripe example".... well to stage the worlds biggest event? i have to disagree with you. I have no no doubt that Frank Lowy and the FFA did the best job they possibly could in their first attempt. This World Cup was for Australia and as you like to call us " every tax payer in it". A waste of money would be the G20, some may say the billion dollar roof insulation scheme, or building a new stadium for a sport that locals dont even play, but we still keep talking about FIFA and Australia falling short to hosting the Worlds biggest event. WHY?
Stevo
Roar Rookie
No I haven't read it and at this stage that's not the issue. The 42 pager is not Garcia's work. It an 'interpretation' of his full report by Hans-Joachim Eckert, Chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee, FIFA. So we wait for the next instalment.
The Minister
Guest
It'a dog's breakfast. The close ups of the "talent" ..ahem.. in the crowd we got at Brasil 2014 will also sorely be missed. If FIFA actually goes ahead with this farce they will fall on their own sword because it will be a complete joke of a world cup. If these cronies are still running the show in 2022 like they are now then only that will get them to have a good look at themselves and start some reforms in the way the governing body operates. The world cup is FIFA's only cash cow. But what a cash cow! If they stuff up even just one tournament like it's looking with Qatar 2022 expect some infighting to start at FIFA until the rotten apples are thrown out. I'd like to hope there are also some people with ethics employed there... Not much consolidation for football fans though.
punter
Guest
http://www.news.com.au/national/blacktown-council-uses-almost-all-sports-funds-for-afl-oval/story-e6frfkp9-1111116932924
Bruce
Guest
Garcia (the man in charge of the investigation and report) has come out to the media and said that FIFA's summary of his report is erroneous and misinterpreting details. In other news Qatar has come out today saying that only straight people will be allowed at the world cup. You're welcome to google either.
The Minister
Guest
Yeah man I did some hard time on the inside. :-(
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
you should do something about that cough, it sounds nasty
aladdin sane
Guest
that's easy. Sepp Blatter is actually a 1200 year old vampire who lives off oil.