AP In this April 28, 2010 photo, Yausif Ahmed Al baker, of the Technical BidBook of Qatar 2022 Bid, talks to the reporters about the new Al Shamal stadium Qatar plans to build. FIFA’s general secretary Jerome Valcke has said in an email Qatar “bought” the right to host the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke confirmed on Monday that he sent a private e-mail suggesting Qatar had “bought” the right to host the 2022 World Cup.
The e-mail was made public by FIFA Vice President Jack Warner after he was suspended by FIFA on Sunday over bribery allegations in Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam’s campaign to replace Sepp Blatter as its president.
“For MBH, I never understood why he was running,” Valcke told Warner in the e-mail. “If really he thought he had a chance or just being an extreme way to express how much he does not like anymore JSB (Blatter). Or he thought you can buy FIFA as they bought the WC.”
Valcke, speaking before attending a CONCACAF meeting in Zurich, said: “It was a private e-mail and we will discuss it. He sent me an e-mail asking if I want that (bin Hammam to run), he said that I should ask bin Hammam to pull out.”
Asked whether’s Valcke’s assertion about Qatar 2022 in the e-mail was true, bin Hammam responded Monday by saying: “What do you think?
“You would have to ask Jerome Valcke what he was thinking,” he told the BBC when asked about the e-mail’s contents. “I don’t know why he has said that.
“If I was paying money for Qatar you also have to ask the 13 people who voted for Qatar.”
A FIFA ethics panel on Sunday found there was sufficient evidence to further investigate allegations that bin Hammam and Warner, the now-suspended president of CONCACAF, offered $40,000 bribes to delegates at a Caribbean football association meeting earlier this month ahead of the presidential election on Wednesday.
Warner said he told the panel that Blatter gave a $1 million “gift” of FIFA money to a meeting of CONCACAF to spend “as it deems fit.”
Warner said the money given to CONCACAF — the regional body for North, Central America and the Caribbean — “annoyed” UEFA President Michel Platini.
However, Platini saw things differently on Monday.
“It’s not like that, it was a joke with me and Mr. Blatter,” Platini said. “He can give the projects that he wants to give. I joke, I said, ‘But Sepp this was not accepted by the committee,’ — but he can give many projects to many national associations and we will confirm in the GOAL project after.
“In many Congresses for many, many years the president can give one or two projects to national associations — he has his own budget and he can give to one confederation and then it has to be approved of course by the executive committee next time.”