Former Fifa presidential candidate Lennart Johansson called for an independent investigation into claims by Jack Warner, a former vice-president of football’s world governing body, that he was sold World Cup media rights at a nominal price in return for helping president Sepp Blatter’s election campaigns.
Last week, Fifa refuted Warner’s claim that his acquisition of Caribbean broadcast rights for multiple World Cups for $1 (€0.77) was linked to his support of Blatter’s winning campaign against Johansson for the presidency in 1998. Johansson told Bloomberg that Fifa’s assertion that Warner had circulated “inaccuracies and falsehoods” should also be proved by an independent probe.
“I think I’m entitled to talk about it because I was the second candidate at the election in 1998,” Johansson said as reported by Bloomberg. “Mr Warner made us aware of really what has happened by telling us about it. Then if he’s telling a lie that should be proved.”
Johansson said Fifa’s name was now associated by many with corruption and bribery, and that its executive committee refused to address the issue.
“For people on the streets, Fifa is corruption, is bribery, things like that and they hear it year after year and nothing happens,” he said.
“The question is why they (executive committee members) stay under these circumstances. They don’t like to talk about it. And the worst thing is it creates a lot of speculation about why they behave like this.”