Suspended FIFA President Sepp Blatter "refused to back up Franz Beckenbauer's accusation" that 2006 German World Cup organizers had to pay FIFA a cash amount in order to release a bigger payment back to them, calling them absurd, according to Karolos Grohmann of REUTERS. Beckenbauer, who was the 2006 World Cup organizing chief, said that a "controversial" €6.7M payment to FIFA, currently under investigation by a German prosecutor, was made in order to release a payment of €170M back to the organizers "to help with preparations for the tournament."
Blatter said that the German World
Cup organizers should follow the paper trail to get to the bottom of
this affair." Blatter said, "This is absurd. ... To pay money to get money? No. This does not exist at FIFA" (REUTERS, 12/11).
EYES ON THE GOAL: The BBC reported goalline technology "could be used at Euro 2016 and in next season's Champions League and Europa League." If approved, UEFA's system of positioning an additional assistant referee behind each goal "would remain." European football's governing body "discussed the issue on Friday and said it would make a decision in January." UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said there was a "positive" attitude towards its implementation, despite "logistical challenges" (BBC, 12/11). The BBC's Mungazi & Fajah-Barrie wrote FIFA demanded that "the Sierra Leone government rescind its decision to disband" the country's FA. FIFA gave authorities in Freetown until Wednesday to comply with the directive "or risk the country being banned from all international competition immediately." It comes after the National Sports Council announced that "the dissolution of the SLFA executive committee on Thursday" (BBC, 12/12).
ELECTION SEASON: REUTERS' Ed Osmond wrote Paraguayan Juan Angel Napout’s resignation as president of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) "paves the way for the organisation’s first election in three decades which has been set for Jan. 26." Napout’s resignation "was announced at CONMEBOL’s congress this week" following his arrest along with 15 other people in connection with the corruption investigations engulfing world football. Uruguayan FA Presidnet Wilmar Valdez, who chaired the congress, "has taken over as CONMEBOL president on an interim basis until the election." Valdez said that "at the end of the congress on Friday that CONMEBOL, facing the worst crises in its history as it becomes embroiled in the U.S. investigation of corruption in FIFA, had focused on the reforms needed to restore public confidence in South American football." Valdez, CONMEBOL’s fourth president since May '13, did not detail the changes needed but said it was time that "money went where it was meant to, which is the clubs" (REUTERS, 12/12).
