Fifa boss misses Champions League final
Fifa president Sepp Blatter missed the Champions League final in London on Saturday evening to prepare for an Fifa ethics committee hearing on Sunday.
The move was announced by Blatter’s advisor Brian Alexander. Blatter would normally have attended the Uefa showpiece match – this time between Barcelona and Manchester United.
Also present at the game are the leaders of 53 European football federations who have votes in the presidential election at Fifa, the world football governing body, on Wednesday. Barcelona won 3:1.
Blatter and his former rival for the presidential post, Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, are appearing before Fifa’s ethics committee in Zurich on Sunday morning. Bin Hammam has announced his withdrawal from the election, hours before the hearing was due to begin.
Bin Hammam is accused of bribing Caribbean voters on a campaign visit. Blatter faces allegations of having ignored these alleged corruption attempts.
Blatter, standing for a fourth term, has not commented on the proceedings but has said that the “facts will speak for themselves”. Bin Hammam has denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, Fifa vice president Jack Warner, who must also attend the hearing, has cautioned that a “football tsunami” would hit Fifa in the next few days.
The accusations are the latest in a series of bribery claims to hit Fifa. Previous allegations have led to the suspension of some Fifa officials.
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