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FIFA’s Chung to sue Blatter for embezzlement

LONDON — FIFA presidential contender Chung Mong-joon says Sepp Blatter is a “hypocrite and a liar”, and says he is planning to sue the outgoing president for being paid a secret salary which was not even agreed by FIFA’s executive committee.

LONDON — FIFA presidential contender Chung Mong-joon says Sepp Blatter is a “hypocrite and a liar”, and says he is planning to sue the outgoing president for being paid a secret salary which was not even agreed by FIFA’s executive committee.

Blatter is being investigated by Swiss authorities for financial wrongdoing. He denies any.

Chung, who was a member of the FIFA executive committee until 2011, says he plans “to sue Mr Blatter on his embezzlement in court”.

Speaking at the Leaders sport business summit in London, Chung said: “FIFA has become a badge of shame. To call it a mafia is almost insulting to mafia, so blatant and arrogant is its corruption.

“At FIFA money and power have blinded Blatter in the virtues of sportsmanship. For his payment without executive committee approval, I plan to sue Mr Blatter for embezzlement in court. Mr Blatter, in short, is a hypocrite and a liar.”

Chung is facing a suspension by the FIFA ethics committee for breaches relating to South Korea’s failed bid for the 2022 World Cup — he had promoted a US$777 million (S$1 billion) development fund proposed by South Korea as part of its bid — and for openly criticising the investigation. Chung calls it an attempt by FIFA to undermine his candidacy to replace Blatter in the Feb 26 election. He also said it was a “travesty of justice” after no investigation was lodged against UEFA chief Michel Platini’s support for Qatar.

Chung pointed out that Chilean Harold Mayne-Nicholls was banned for seven years by FIFA’s ethics committee after asking Qatar for placements for family members while he was in charge of the technical inspectors looking at the World Cup bids. He added: “Mr Platini voted for Qatar and his son landed a job a with a Qatar company as chief executive. The ethics committee did not even start an investigation, this is a travesty of justice.”

Blatter has claimed in an interview with German magazine Bunte that the Swiss criminal investigation against him was “not correct”. “The situation is not pleasant,” Bunte quoted Blatter as saying. “I am being condemned without there being any evidence for wrongdoing on my part. That is really outrageous.” AGENCIES

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