FIFA Officials Banned Over World Cup Bid Corruption

18 November 2010

Claudio Sulser, chairman of the FIFA Ethics Committee quotes out of the code of ethics booklet during a press conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, 18 Nov 2010

There have long been allegations of corruption at the highest levels of world sport - and now there's evidence to bear them out. Amos Adamu of Nigeria will be banned from the sport for three years, and the president of the Oceania Football Federation, Reynald Temarii, faces a one year ban. They've also both been fined.

FIFA'S ethics committee also suspended and fined four other officials for their alleged roles in the bribery scandal. All six men can appeal their punishments.

Ethics committee chairman Claudio Sulser admitted the affair had damaged FIFA.

"When one talks of FIFA," Sulser said, "there is generally a negative attitude out there, there's talk of corruption. And so I ask myself the following question: this is rather peculiar, but on the other hand it's no joke because FIFA is a big organization with many interests and where there are many interests, certain things can go awry. The difference, now, is we're trying to work in complete transparency."

England is one of the countries bidding to host the 2018 World Cup and the corruption claims could have ramifications here, too. The original investigation was carried out by the