Blatter calls special FIFA Executive Committee meeting

By Andrew Warshaw

November 11 – FIFA President Sepp Blatter has called an unscheduled meeting of his Executive Committee for November 19, two days after a potentially landmark ruling over World Cup corruption allegations involving two high-ranking members and two bidding nations.

In what is believed to be the first meeting of its kind in recent years, it is understood notification of the emergency session is being dispatched to FIFA Executive Committee members tomorrow at the same time as they receive the evaluation reports into the nine bidding candidates for 2018 and 2022.

What is less clear is whether Blatter’s covering letter will be sent to Nigeria’s Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti, the two FIFA members provisionally suspended by its Ethics Committee for allegedly agreeing to sell their votes for cash.

The eagerly awaited Ethics Committee’s decision whether to further suspend or even expel Adamu and Temarii, who were at the centre of a detailed Sunday Times expose into bribery and have both denied the claims against them, will be taken on November 17.

With time running out before the December 2 ballot on 2018 and 2022, it is believed Blatter has called next week’s meeting to decide how to proceed if only 22 members end up being eligible to vote even though it has already been decided they cannot be replaced in time.

The Ethics Committee will also announce on November 17 whether any action is being taken against the Spain/Portugal and Qatar bids following equally explosive allegations of vote-trading collusion.

“We are facing something we have never faced before,” one FIFA Executive Committee member told insideworldfootball. “

When the decision comes out Sepp wants to have those who are responsible for the organisation to be there to discuss the next step.”

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