FIFA & Coe
Transmitted October 22, 2007
A few weeks before the English FA announced they would bid to host the 2018 World Cup, BBC Panorama looked at corruption allegations against some of the men who decide who hosts the World Cup.
The programme also looked at criticisms of the apparent lack of activity by Lord Sebastian Coe during his period as chair of FIFA’s Ethics committee.
John McBeth, former chairman of the Scottish FA, had a worrying tale to tell about how Jack Warner tried to steal $75,000 that should have gone to the Trinidad & Tobago federation.
Another Warner scandal, ignored by Blatter and football officials begging for his 2018 vote, is how he has stolen millions of pounds he owes to the Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Squad in Germany in 2006.
Andrew went to the Caribbean to interview former Newcastle, Portsmouth and West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop who starred for T&T in Germany.
So the team did the obvious thing. They asked FIFA to refer their case to Seb Coe’s Ethics Committee.
Another scandal you might have thought would be investigated by Lord Coe was the legal action that FIFA had to settle with MasterCard after they secretly gave a contract to the Visa company.
New York judge Loretta A. Preska was scathing about FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer:
‘Mr Blazer’s testimony was generally without credibility based on his attitude and demeanour and on his evasive answers on cross-examination.’
And she didn’t stop there . . .
Closing statements by MasterCard's lawyer
It cost FIFA US$90 million to settle the case with MasterCard.
Read the MasterCard v. FIFA court case judgement
We tried to arrange an interview with Lord Coe. We wanted to talk about his role at FIFA and what he thought about these FIFA scandals.
Having spent more than two years failing to take action against FIFA’s crooks, Lord Coe ‘stood down’ from FIFA’s ethics committee in February 2008 to join England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup. He stated, ‘I would like to thank FIFA President Mr Blatter for agreeing to this arrangement.’


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