Scotland's football chiefs are savaged.......

[ian1964 10,720]

.......for their silence over FIFA World Cup scandal in Qatar.

 

JIM Murphy MP has called on the SFA to stand up and be counted amid more damaging revelations over bribes.

 

THE SFA came under mounting pressure yesterday to end their silence over the Qatar World Cup scandal.

 

Labour MP Jim Murphy called on Scottish football’s controlling body to stand up and be counted amid further damaging revelations over bribes.

 

A leading investigator who exposed FIFA corruption also called for the SFA to make their position on Qatar clear.

 

But SFA chief executive Stewart Regan refused to say anything when approached by a Sunday Mail reporter on Friday at his home in Glasgow’s West End.

 

Regan would only say: “I’m just on my way out. Thanks very much.”

 

The decision to award the 2022 tournament to Qatar has been embroiled in controversy over labour conditions for migrant workers and corruption.

 

This year, the Sunday Mail exposed the abysmal conditions faced by men building the stadia and *infrastructure.

 

And new evidence linking disgraced Qatari football official Mohamed bin Hammam to bribes have plunged the 2022 event further into crisis.

 

Yesterday, Murphy urged the SFA to break their silence over the slave conditions in Qatar before FIFA’s annual congress in Brazil this week.

 

The shadow international development secretary travelled to Qatar with the Sunday Mail in April to probe the working conditions of migrants.

 

He said: “FIFA is engulfed in scandal. The time for real and decisive action is now. So many people, including UEFA president Michel Platini, the English FA, the British representative on the FIFA board and other football associations around the world have spoken up.

 

“The SFA must now break their silence and stand up for what’s right.

 

“The allegations of corruption must be fully investigated and, if found to be true, Qatar must be stripped of the World Cup immediately.

 

“But FIFA must also seize this opportunity to force real change in Qatar and finally bring the industrial-scale abuse of migrant workers to an end. FIFA has two choices – change or rot from within.”

 

Scots writer Andrew Jennings, who uncovered evidence about vote-rigging and bribery in his book Foul: The Secret World of FIFA, urged the organisation to put their house in order.

 

He claims too many decisions are based on keeping FIFA delegates happy, rather than for the good of the game.

 

He said: “You only have to look at the line-up for the 2014 World Cup to see that there just aren’t 32 great teams in the world.

 

“Who would want to cross the road to watch Honduras, other than those with a Honduran passport?

 

“The more teams you have in the World Cup, the more jollies for the officials.

 

“Your team’s no good but Sepp Blatter looks after you by making sure you get a nice holiday in Brazil. You’ve got all these old guys in their declining years that don’t speak out but get a huge amount of money, World Cup tickets and first-class flights.

 

“That’s the kind of men that Sepp Blatter approves of.

 

“To get rid of him we need politicians and outside agencies like the UN and the European Parliament to get involved.”

 

Jennings has been investigating FIFA for a decade and has been barred from Blatter’s press conferences since 2003.

 

He has also researched and presented a string of Panorama exposés on the organisation including The Beautiful Bung, which probed bribery claims in 2006, and FIFA’s Dirty Secrets, which exposed alleged corruption among executive committee members.

 

Last week, allegations emerged that former FIFA official bin Hammam *controlled a £3million slush fund which was used to buy the support of key *officials for the Qatar World Cup bid.

 

This has led to renewed calls for FIFA to restart the bidding process.

 

Even without the corruption allegations, there have been huge question marks over playing the World Cup in the Gulf state where summer temperatures can reach up to 50C.

 

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke has admitted the Qatar World Cup will be switched to winter but Jennings says that would have a catastrophic financial effect on Scottish football.

 

He added: “Poor old Qatar were trying to run a clean bid and the crooks of FIFA had their hands out.

 

“Who wants to go to Qatar? The fans don’t want to go because you can’t get a beer. The players don’t want to go and the clubs don’t want to release them.

 

“If you’ve just paid £10million for a fantastic pair of goal-scoring legs, you’re not going to risk them in the hot sands of Qatar. It’s time the Scottish FA and the other three home nations tell FIFA enough is enough.”

 

Last week, documents were uncovered allegedly showing secret payments from Qatar’s top football official to influential figures.

 

It was claimed the leaked papers revealed that disgraced bin Hammam had made *payments to football officials in return for votes for Qatar.

 

UEFA president Platini, who initially supported the Qatar bid, now says the vote should be re-run and sanctions imposed if *corruption can be proved.

 

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has also said he would be in favour of re-running the vote for the 2022 tournament if the *allegations are proven.

 

Yesterday, the day after we approached Regan, the SFA issued a brief statement on Qatar.

 

They said: “We echo the comments of Jim Boyce. If any evidence of wrongdoing around the 2022 Qatar World Cup bid is proved, we would support a re-run of the bid process.”

 

But Murphy said: “It’s not good enough for the SFA to meekly whisper a one-sentence comment.

 

“The SFA seem to be one of the *quietest football organisations on the planet when it comes to the dreadful plight of World Cup *workers.”

 

Meanwhile, angry Brazilians have launched an anti-FIFA graffiti campaign to protest at the cost of staging the World Cup.

 

Powerful images – many showing hungry children – have been springing up all over venue cities. And the protests have the backing of World Cup legend Romario.

 

Now a firebrand left-wing politician, he is fiercely critical of the staging of the tournament.

 

He said: “There are far more important things that need improving in Brazil – like schools and hospitals – rather than staging the World Cup.”

 

Brazilian police used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up violent protests just days before the start of the tournament

 

Trouble broke out in the city of Sao Paulo where the opening game of the tournament will be played on Thursday.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/scotlands-football-chiefs-savaged-silence-3661362

[Rangersitis 0]

1. The bribe claims are already being investigated by FIFA.

 

2. Alleged abuses of workers' humans rights have nothing to do with a football association.

 

3. Jim Murphy is an attention-seeking cunt.

[26th of foot 6,082]

Why doesn't Jim ask fellow Labour Party representitives about their actions on various GDC/GCC committees, Development Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, and and Sports Scotland? Recently, I note Margaret Curren MP, her role in questioning and ensuring ground given to ra Sellik for peppercorn rates, has now been redesignated to allow development and worth ten times more.

 

Go on Jim, you know it makes sense. Oh, did you ever tell us who paid your three day all expenses trip to Seville?

[RANGERRAB 3,653]

Murphy must think we're all daft. A Scottish Lhabour politician accusing anyone of corruption !

LOL you couldn't make it up ! GCC /shellik land deals for the security on the co-op soft loans JIm Bhoy?

Or the generous price for the lennoxtown land from Mr Divers at the health board ?