Tainted Hayatou chosen by Blatter to replace Bin Hammam as head of FIFA GOAL project

By Andrew Warshaw

September 20 – Issa Hayatou, the African football powerbroker who has twice denied corruption allegations in the past year, is to take over the running of FIFA’s much-trumpeted GOAL Bureau that distributes funds to poorer nations and supports development projects.

And despite being under investigation by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Ethics Commission, the 65-year-old Cameroon·official has also been handed responsibility for organising next year’s Olympic football tournament.

In what will be regarded in some circles as two highly controversial·appointments given Sepp Blatter’s pledge to clean up the game, Hayatou takes over the GOAL project from Mohamed Bin Hammam, banned for life by FIFA for allegedly offering bribes to Caribbean football leaders while he was a presidential·candidate.

Even though Hayatou was·chairman of the Organising Committee for the 2010 World Cup and has been president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 1987, more than a few eyebrows will be raised that he is being given responsibility for handling what is regarded as one of FIFA’s most prized projects.

Not only that.

The eight-man committee he leads is understood to include Richard Groden, general secretary of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and one of those still under investigation by FIFA in the Bin Hammam bribery scandal.

Although banned for life, Bin Hammam is still going through a lengthy appeals process that could, ultimately, exonerate him.

Whilst he would be unlikely to be re-instated as head of Asian football or get any of his other major FIFA jobs back, transferring his GOAL responsibilities to someone else on a permanent basis could be construed as premature.

Inaugurated in 1999, the GOAL project has already provided support for over 500 development projects across the world, with a total of $200 million (£128 million/€146 million) having been invested.

In May, a British Parliamentary inquiry into England’s failed 2018 World Cup was told that Hayatou was allegedly·paid $1.5 million (£958,000/€1.1 million) to vote for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.·

The Middle East state beat the United States by a landslide in the final round of voting for the right to host the tournament, the biggest ever upset in bidding history.

Hayatou denounced the corruption claim as “pure invention”,·while Qatar’s Football Association denounced the claims as “serious and baseless” and said they would “remain unproven because they are false”.

An inquiry into the allegations, which first came to light in newspaper reports,·found there was no evidence whatsoever·to support them.

Serious accusations made by a whistle-blower regarding Qatar’s World Cup bid were subsequently withdrawn.

Even if Hayatou has no case to answer regarding those allegations, being appointed·head of FIFA’s organising committee for Olympic football tournaments is a highly contentious move.

Last November,·Hayatou also said he conscience was clear after the BBC’s Panorama·reported that a payment he had received from FIFA’s former marketing partner ISL was a bribe.

As a result, he was placed under investigation by the IOC’s Ethics Commission yet now takes·charge of the Committee which will oversee organisation of the London football tournament.

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