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Thu, Mar

Sancho calls for Jack to account for missing funds
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SPORTS MINISTER Brent Sancho has called for embattled former football administrator Jack Warner to account for the US$10 million, which was sent to him from FIFA, on behalf of South Africa, to use for its Caribbean diaspora legacy programme.

According to documents shown by BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in an article yesterday, Warner used the payment for cash withdrawals, personal loans and to launder money. Sancho, in the same BBC story, said, “he (Warner) must face justice, he must answer all of these questions. Justice has to be served. 

“He will have to account, with this investigation, he will have to answer for his actions.” 

The documents also show US$360,000 of the Fifa money was withdrawn by people connected to Warner. 

Nearly $1.6million was used to pay the former Fifa vice-president’s credit cards and personal loans. 

The documents show the largest personal loan Mr Warner provided for himself was US$410,000. The largest credit card payment was US$87,000. 

Sancho said he is now angry and disappointed. 

“I’m devastated because a lot of that money should have been back in football, back in the development of children playing the sport. It is a travesty. Mr Warner should answer the questions,” he added.

VIDEO: - FIFA Corruption (BBC Exclusive): Documents 'show bribe payments' - BBC News

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FIFA admits that Russia and Qatar might lose World Cups.
Reuters


Russia and Qatar could be stripped of their World Cup hosting rights if evidence emerges of bribery in the bidding process, the independent chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee has told a Swiss newspaper. 

The FBI's investigation of bribery and corruption at FIFA includes scrutiny of how soccer's governing body awarded World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar, a US law enforcement official told Reuters this week. 

Domenico Scala told SonntagsZeitung that the two countries could lose the hosting rights should evidence emerge of bribery in the bidding process. 

"If evidence should emerge that the awards to Qatar and Russia only came about thanks to bought votes, then the awards could be invalidated," Scala said in an interview published on Sunday. "This evidence has not yet been brought forth." 

Russia and Qatar have previously denied wrongdoing in the conduct of their bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which were not the subject of charges announced by US prosecutors last week against FIFA officials. 

Scala had made similar comments in 2013 but events over the last two weeks, which included a dawn police raid in Zurich and the arrests of several FIFA officials on US charges, have added urgency to his remarks. 

Sepp Blatter unexpectedly announced on Tuesday he was resigning, just four days after securing a fifth term as FIFA president and shortly before it emerged that he too was under investigation by US law enforcement. 

In a separate interview with Swiss paper Sonntags Blick, Scala also floated the idea of term limits for the FIFA presidency. 

"If a FIFA president does two or three cycles that is enough," Scala is quoted as saying. 

A representative for Scala confirmed his remarks. 

FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.