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Blatter to face FIFA ethics probe

Sepp Blatter will have to answer questions at the weekend © Getty Images

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FIFA has confirmed president Sepp Blatter will appear before the governing body's ethics committee to answer charges that he knew about alleged cash payments.

Blatter's rival in the presidential elections, which will be held next Wednesday, Mohamed Bin Hammam called for Blatter to be investigated.

The development means three of world football's most powerful figures, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has also been charged with bribery, will now appear before the ethics committee on Sunday.

The ethics committee are bound by their rules to investigate any complaint by an executive committee member under article 16 of the ethics code.

FIFA said in a statement: "On 26 May 2011, FIFA ExCo member Mohamed Bin Hammam has requested the FIFA ethics committee to open ethics proceedings against FIFA president Joseph S Blatter on the basis that, in the report submitted by FIFA ExCo member Chuck Blazer earlier this week, FIFA vice-president Jack A Warner would have informed the FIFA president in advance about alleged cash payments to delegations attending a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) apparently organised jointly by Jack A Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam on 10 and 11 May 2011 and that the FIFA president would have had no issue with these.

"Subsequently, the FIFA ethics committee today opened a procedure against the FIFA president in compliance with art. 16 of the FIFA code of ethics.

"Joseph S Blatter has been invited to take position by 28 May 2011, 11:00 CET and to attend a hearing by the FIFA ethics committee at the Home of FIFA (Zurich) on 29 May 2011."

FIFA's code of ethics rules state that as the complaint came from a member of the body's executive committee, the independent ethics committee must now also investigate Blatter.

The code states: "FIFA accepts complaints only from the executive committee of an association, the executive committee of a confederation, members of the FIFA executive committee and from the FIFA secretary general."

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