Blatter to face media as scandals widen
Fifa president Sepp Blatter was set to face the
media on Friday, as the scandals that surround him
widen at a seemingly relentless pace.
Blatter's press conference following Fifa's
executive committee meeting was always going to
be closely watched, with both the US and Swiss
justice departments carrying out major
investigations into corruption at world football.
But events over the last two weeks have raised the
stakes.
On Thursday, Switzerland's Attorney General
Michael Lauber's office said Fifa had agreed to
hand over the emails of suspended secretary
general Jerome Valcke, evidence Lauber had
demanded as part of an investigation into World Cup
bidding.
That announcement came hours after Lauber's
office said Fifa had indicated it would only hand
over the emails if certain conditions were met.
Those conditions were not disclosed and there was
no comment as to what ultimately led Fifa to unseal
the emails.
Fifa said only that it "fully supports" the Swiss
investigation and had cooperated with the attorney
general since his inquiry was launched in May.
A week before Fifa agreed to the email release,
football's governing body put the Frenchman on
indefinite leave over accusations he agreed to let
World Cup tickets be sold at vastly inflated prices.
Valcke, who had been Blatter's right-hand man,
fiercely denies the allegations.
Aside from a possible black market ticket scheme,
Valcke had already been implicated in an alleged
$10 million bribe payment reportedly made by South
Africa in connection with its hosting of the 2010
World Cup.
The Swiss investigation is focused on whether
bribes were paid during bidding for 2018 and 2022
tournaments -- awarded to Russia and Qatar,
respectively.
If clear evidence of misconduct emerges, both
countries could be stripped of their hosting rights,
Fifa officials have said.
- More charges coming -
Three days before Valcke was suspended, Lauber
and his US counterpart Loretta Lynch made clear
that their investigations were nowhere near
complete.
Lauber said assets, including flats in the Swiss
Alps, had been seized in the probe which he
described as "not yet near half-time."
Valcke's emails will add to the troves of electronic
data previously confiscated by Swiss investigators.
Lauber has not named any individuals who could
face criminal charges, and there was no indication
that Valcke is the main target in the case.
Speaking alongside Lauber in Zurich, Fifa's home,
Lynch said her case had also expanded since May,
when the US indicted 14 people -- nine Fifa officials
and five sports marketing executives -- over
bribery worth more than $150 million (134 million
euros) dating back to 1991.
Lynch told reporters that more individuals and
entities were likely to be charged.
Neither attorney general has commented on
whether charges were imminent against the Fifa
president, who insists he was unaware of any graft
that took place under his watch.
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