FIFA President Sepp Blatter and FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke have both "hired high-powered U.S. lawyers to represent them" as a corruption probe roils football's global governing body, according to Ingram & Raymond of REUTERS. A person "familiar with the matter" said that Blatter recently retained law firm McGuireWoods Chair and former U.S. federal prosecutor Richard Cullen. U.S. prosecutors have "not accused Blatter or Valcke of wrongdoing." However, a source said in early June that U.S. prosecutors believe Valcke was involved in $10M in FIFA bank transactions that are a "key part of the investigation." It was unclear whether the decisions by Blatter and Valcke to "hire top U.S. lawyers indicated increased scrutiny of them by U.S. authorities." It is common in the U.S. for even potential witnesses to "seek legal advice if they can afford it in order to protect their rights." Cullen was not "immediately available for comment" on Wednesday. A U.S. prosecutors spokesperson "declined to comment" (REUTERS, 6/18). REUTERS' Schaps & Hosenball reported on Wednesday, former Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) President Ricardo Teixeira said that he got "absolutely nothing" in return for his vote to award Qatar the rights to host the 2022 World Cup and "described suggestions he was involved in impropriety as 'preposterous'" (REUTERS, 6/17).
SECOND TO STEP UP: The BBC's Edwards & Darko reported Liberia FA Chair Musa Bility "announced plans to stand for the presidency" of FIFA, saying that it is "Africa's time to lead world football." Bility is the second person to "declare his candidacy" after former Brazil int'l Zico. Bility: "We all agree that football is facing a difficult moment and it is in difficult moments that great leaders emerge. Africa is the largest voting bloc in FIFA and we must take the lead to bring football together" (BBC, 6/18).
OUT OF HIDING: The AP's Calatrava & Byrne reported two Argentine businessmen wanted in the U.S. in a FIFA bribery case "turned themselves in to authorities on Thursday after ignoring arrest warrants and staying out of sight for three weeks." Accompanied by their lawyers, Hugo Jinkis and son Mariano "presented themselves at a federal courthouse in Buenos Aires." They stated their intention to "fight a U.S. extradition order and requested house arrest rather than jail while they do so." The men were "escorted out of the courthouse by Interpol and Argentine police agents" (AP, 6/18).
WATCHFUL EYES: In a separate piece, Hosenball reported Head of Liechtenstein's Financial Intelligence Unit Daniel Thelesklaf said that anti-money laundering investigators in Liechtenstein are "keeping a lookout for suspicious financial transactions which could be related to alleged FIFA corruption" but so far have not found any. Thelesklaf said that his agency had been "monitoring financial transactions for possible FIFA-related irregularities, paralleling the activities of anti-money laundering units in other countries, including neighboring Switzerland." While his office so has far "found no recent suspicious activity," Thelesklaf said that it was "'still looking' for possible transactions that could be related" to the football organization (REUTERS, 6/18).
REFUND PLEASE: REUTERS' Mark Gleeson reported Belgium "may seek compensation" for the €4.5M ($5.13M) spent on its unsuccessful 2018 World Cup bid if FIFA's decision to award the finals to Russia is "found to be fraudulent." Belgian Football Federation Chair Francois de Keersmaecker said, "If fraud is proven, it is obvious to me that we will seek compensation." The country made a joint bid with the Netherlands that cost €9M. Flemish Sports Minister Philippe Muyters said that fraud "still needed to be proven." Muyters: "But if it was the case, we will, with our partners, look to proceed with a claim" (REUTERS, 6/18).
HELP WANTED: REUTERS' Sami Aboudi reported the world's largest Muslim organization has "thrown its weight behind Qatar's hosting of the 2022 World Cup, hitting back at Western criticism of the Gulf Arab state's dealings with FIFA amid a corruption probe" into world football's governing body. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation criticized what it said was "Western media tendentious campaigns" targeting OIC members, "casting doubt on its right to host the event" (REUTERS, 6/18). REUTERS' Karolos Grohmann reported Nepal FA's (ANFA) VP said that repeated pleas to Blatter and other senior officials "asking for help to end 'chaos and lawlessness'" in the ANFA have "gone unanswered." Football in the South Asian republic has "been in turmoil" since FIFA last year "launched an investigation into financial irregularities" during former ANFA President Ganesh Thapa's reign (REUTERS, 6/18).
