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
Black Stars captain Jordan Ayew says Ghana will leave nothing on the pitch when they face England in today’s World Cup Group L decider at Gillette Stadium.
With both teams on 3 points, Ayew said his job is to ease pressure on the younger players and hold everyone accountable, himself included.
“I’m doing my best to guide the boys, make them comfortable, take pressure off them, and help us perform,” Ayew told reporters. “I have to perform too. They have to perform too. It’s teamwork. We’re helping each other.”
Ghana come into the Foxborough clash after a 1-0 win over Panama in Toronto. England beat Croatia 4-2 in their opener.
The captain’s message was simple, “We’re going to give our 100% and we’re going to fight. I’ll make sure when we come off that pitch, we have no regrets.”
The winner takes control of Group L. Kickoff is 4:00 PM ET at Gillette Stadium.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Black Stars forward Brandon Thomas-Asante insists Ghana will carry no pressure into Tuesday’s World Cup showdown with England at Boston Stadium, saying the team’s self-belief and sense of purpose outweigh outside expectations.
Brandon provided a 95th minute assist that helped Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in Toronto.
The win left both Ghana and England level on three points in Group L following the Three Lions 4-2 over Croatia in their opening match.
Speaking to ghanafa.org Thomas-Asante is adamant that external doubt only fuels the squad.
“Everything to the best ability, it’s very much a case of we back ourselves, we believe in ourselves. Whether people on the outside doubt us, believe us, or anything that’s not what we think about. We think about why we’re here. We’re on a mission,” Thomas-Asante said.
The Coventry City forward said that mission removes any weight of expectation. “That means there’s no pressure. It’s even less pressure for us,” he explained.
“We know our fans believe, but we know that some people might want to overlook us. We use that to our advantage preparing properly and believing that we can go and do something,” He added.
England and Ghana both sit on three points heading into the Foxborough clash, with the winner set to take control of Group L. Kickoff at Boston Stadium on Tuesday.
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