Sports
Ex FIFA boss Blatter faces fresh inquiry
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is the target of a criminal investigation in Switzerland for suspected mismanagement of a $1 million payment from football funds.
Blatter has been notified by Swiss federal prosecutors he is an “accused person” over a loan FIFA gave in 2010 to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, according to a document seen by The Associated Press.
Blatter, 84, has denied any wrongdoing during decades of financial scandals linked to football’s world governing body, though he was banned from the presidency and risks being brought to trial in his home country.
The payment now publicly revealed came from a FIFA account on April 13, 2010, and was interest-free, unsecured and later waived as a kind of gift, the document detailed.
It is the latest allegation in Swiss and American federal investigations tying FIFA to irregular payments benefiting Jack Warner, its former vice president from Trinidad who is fighting extradition to the United States.
Warner long controlled a key bloc in FIFA elections until he left football after being implicated in bribing voters to oppose Blatter in 2011. He was also an elected lawmaker in the Caribbean nation and became a government minister after a general election held in May 2010.
Two former senior FIFA officials — Jerome Valcke as Secretary General and Markus Kattner as Finance Director — are also named as accused persons.
The Swiss federal prosecution office said in a statement on Saturday that criminal proceedings against Blatter were extended last month to include Valcke and Kattner. The office said both men, who were fired by FIFA in 2016, have the presumption of innocence.
The investigation document is dated May 13, 2020 — several weeks after the office said it was closing one of two criminal proceedings opened against Blatter five years earlier.
The allegation to be dropped was that Blatter mismanaged a World Cup broadcast deal for the Caribbean that let Warner personally profit by millions of dollars.
That prosecution decision revealed in April suggested Blatter could be cleared by Swiss justice after years under suspicion and while serving a six-year ban by FIFA’s ethics committee. It expires in October 2021.
A Swiss criminal proceeding has also been open against Blatter since September 2015 related to FIFA payments to former UEFA president Michel Platini. That allegation led to FIFA’s ethics committee banning both men from football. –AP
Already relegated Eleven Wonders FC return to action on Friday with a determined quest to salvage pride as they host Bechem United FC at the Swedru Sports Stadium in the Premier League.
Despite their confirmed drop, Eleven Wonders remain committed to finishing the season on a competitive note. However, their campaign has been a difficult one, reflected in their poor run of form.
They are winless in their last five league matches, managing just a single draw against FC Samartex 1996 while suffering four defeats.
The numbers further highlight their struggles this season. With only 10 points from 28 matches, Eleven Wonders sit at the bottom of the table, having scored the fewest goals (17) and conceded the most (53) in the league.
Their home performances have offered little relief, with just one win, one draw, and three consecutive defeats in their last five matches on home soil—making them the weakest home side in the competition.
In contrast, Bechem United travel to Swedru with renewed confidence.
The Hunters have shown encouraging improvement, picking up points in four of their last five matches, including back-to-back 2-1 victories, two draws, and just one defeat. They currently sit 13th on the table with 37 points from 28 games, albeit with a game in hand over some of their rivals.
Having scored 25 goals and conceded 31 this season, Bechem United remain locked in a tense battle to avoid relegation, sitting just two points above the drop zone. While their recent form is promising, their away record remains a concern.
They have managed just one win, two draws, and ten defeats in 13 away matches this season.
That solitary away victory came in a crucial 2-1 triumph over FC Samartex 1996 at the Nsenkyire Sports Arena on matchday 27—a result they will look to build upon as they aim to secure valuable points on the road.
The Black Queens will on Wednesday, April 29, learn their opponents for the African qualifying phase of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament.
The draw, organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), will take place at CAF headquarters in Cairo and will be streamed live on CAF TV from 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT).
Ghana is among 35 national teams participating in the qualification campaign, which will determine the two African representatives for the women’s football tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, scheduled for July 11 to 29, 2028.
The qualification series will be played over five rounds, with each nation aiming to secure one of the two available slots for Africa at the global event in Los Angeles.
Having recently climbed to 59th in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings and currently ranked third in Africa, the draw marks the beginning of another major international mission, the quest to seek a return to Olympic football.
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