Interpol has suspended its €20M ($22M) partnership with FIFA until further notice, "in a further blow to football’s scandal-hit world governing body following a slew of bribery claims and arrests," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. The two organizations signed a 10-year agreement in '11 to provide funds to combat match-fixing but Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said that the decision to freeze cooperation had been made "in light of the current context" surrounding FIFA. Stock, in a statement, said, "All external partners, whether public or private, must share the fundamental values and principles of the organisation" (GUARDIAN, 6/12). POLITICO's Jake Wallis Simons wrote the decision follows "unwanted attention" about FIFA’s close ties with Interpol, which has "taken a back seat" in the corruption probe led by U.S. and Swiss authorities. Transparency Int'l Exec Dir Robert Barrington "called on Interpol to return the funds." He said, "Interpol must look into its heart and decide whether it is right to keep the money that has come from an apparently corrupt source. It is up to Interpol to justify keeping the money. The burden of proof lies with Interpol." Barrington "pointed out that when the deal was agreed, FIFA had already been under extensive investigation for corruption." Interpol spokesperson Pietro Calcaterra rejected suggestions that "the full sum should now be repaid, rather than just a portion." He said, "The money has been used for the purpose for which it was intended" (POLITICO, 6/14). REUTERS' Gregory Blachier wrote FIFA expressed dismay on Friday after Interpol suspended a €20M arrangement on fighting corruption, adding to what a former insider in both organizations called FIFA's "escalating isolation." Former Interpol officer Chris Eaton, who also served as FIFA's head of security, said that Interpol's move "further exacerbates FIFA's 'unclean' image and its escalating isolation." He said, "The real damage ... is the wider perception that conflicted organizations are now deserting FIFA." Eaton added that "the agreement provided only for Interpol to deliver anti-corruption training and advice to FIFA, especially in the fight against match-fixing, but no operational information or intelligence." An Interpol spokesperson said that "the program had other funding, and would continue" (REUTERS, 6/12). In N.Y., Dan Bilefsky wrote Interpol’s website notes that "its principle source of funding comes from contributions provided by its 190 member states," including the U.S. But donors "have also included the pharmaceutical, tobacco and technology industries." The top 10 donors to Interpol last year included FIFA and the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, "whose successful bid to host the World Cup is part of a separate corruption inquiry in Switzerland" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/12).
IN PUBLIC: In London, Jack De Menezes wrote an American judge has ruled that the plea agreement between former FIFA Exec Chuck Blazer and the U.S. Government "must be unsealed." The N.Y. Times "was among a number of media outlets who called for the plea agreement to be made public." Authorities "rejected the call but a judge has now ruled that it must be unsealed." According to a court transcript that has been widely reported, U.S. District Judge Raymond J. Dearie said, "Because the court concludes that the government has not met its high burden of establishing that continued sealing is necessary to prevent a substantial probability of prejudice to a compelling government interest, the applications to unseal the agreement are granted" (INDEPENDENT, 6/12). The AP reported Dearie "stayed his order until Monday, giving prosecutors time to unseal the agreement or say they intend to appeal against his decision." He "also gave the government until Friday to apply to redact any portion of the agreement" (AP, 6/11).
QATAR CONNECTION: The SUNDAY TIMES reported a police investigation in Brazil "found evidence of payments made by Qatari construction companies into the secret bank account of a key FIFA voter." The payments were allegedly made to Ricardo Teixeira, the "former head of Brazilian football who was one of the 14 FIFA executive committee members who voted for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup." At the same time, Swiss police "have raided the offices of a company in Zurich as part of a wider inquiry into allegations about a friendly football match that was financed by a Qatari construction firm with close links to the emir." Teixeira’s name "crops up in both inquiries." A judge in Monaco "has accessed his secret bank account in the principality and passed its transaction details to Brazilian police who were already investigating him for money laundering and tax evasion" (SUNDAY TIMES, 6/15).
VATICAN STEPS BACK: The Vatican distanced itself from South American football federation CONMEBOL, refusing to accept its donations, following corruption charges last month against its officials at FIFA. CONMEBOL signed an agreement in the presence of Pope Francis in the Vatican, April 21, that for every goal scored during the Copa América, which kicked off on Thursday in Chile, that CONMEBOL would donate $10,000 to Scholas Occurrentes, an educational project launched by Pope Francis to encourage social integration. Officials of Scholas Occurrentes posted a press statement on its website saying it will not receive any such funding until the ongoing judicial investigation has been cleared (Vatican).
