Fifa president Sepp Blatter is now under investigation.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is now under investigation.

Fifa add Blatter to bribery scandal investigation



GENEVA // Fifa have placed its own president under investigation in a widening bribery scandal just days before he is scheduled to face re-election.

Fifa said Sepp Blatter, who is accused of turning a blind eye to alleged bribes being paid to Caribbean voters, must submit a statement by Saturday before facing an ethics committee hearing in Zurich on Sunday.

With both Blatter and rival candidate Mohamed bin Hammam now under investigation, it is unclear whether next Wednesday's election will go ahead.

"I cannot comment on the proceedings that have been opened against me. The facts will speak for themselves," Blatter said in a statement released by his campaign advisers.

Bin Hammam and senior Fifa official Jack Warner were summoned Wednesday to face the ethics panel on charges of bribing voters during a Caribbean campaign visit. The allegations were levelled by American Fifa executive committee member Chuck Blazer.

"In the report submitted by ... Chuck Blazer earlier this week, Fifa vice president Jack Warner would have informed the Fifa President in advance about alleged cash payments to delegations attending a special meeting of the Caribbean Football Union," FIFA said in a statement Friday.

Up to 25 delegates who have votes in the election were allegedly offered bribes at the May 10-11 conference in Warner's native Trinidad.

Bin Hammam requested Thursday that Fifa also investigate Blatter in the affair that has thrown soccer's governing body into chaos and left the scheduled election up in the air.

Bin Hammam claims Blatter broke ethics rules by not reporting apparent corruption attempts.

Fifa's ethics rules require officials to "report any evidence of violations of conduct."

Bin Hammam, Warner and two CFU officials have been summoned before the ethics panel based on Blazer's explosive file of evidence.

Blatter "had no issue" with the bribes being arranged, according to bin Hammam's formal complaint.

Warner, a senior FIFA official for 28 years, allegedly said that "the Fifa President would have had no issue" with the payments.

Support from the Caribbean has long been seen as crucial to bin Hammam's hopes of unseating former ally Blatter.

Blazer, the highest-ranking American in Fifa, has been an executive committee and Concacaf regional body colleague of the men he accuses for more than 15 years.

Michel Platini, the president of European football's governing body Uefa, described the decision by Fifa on Friday to investigate Blatter  as a "very interesting moment," while claiming to be completely "incorruptible" himself.

"It is a very interesting moment," Platini, who is also a vice president of Fifa, said in London after being informed of Fifa's decision to investigate its own head. "We have some strange days these now, these next days because of that and we have elections. I will go back to Zurich after the final of the Champions League."

Platini will be arriving in Switzerland on Sunday as bin Hammam and Warner face the ethics panel.

The Frenchman, who moved into football politics after an illustrious career playing for France and Juventus, maintained that he has never been bribed.

"Don't joke, never, never," Platini said. "You know the people who are corrupt, they know who can be corruptible. They know I am incorruptible."

Asked if Fifa is corrupt, Platini responded: "I don't know, let's [see] the evidence."

"Football is the most beautiful and popular game in the world and we have to resolve these problems," Platini said.

"I know many journalists corrupted too," he told reporters at the unveiling of a Uefa-funded pitch at a London school. "It is not only a fight in football. Football is a mirror for the society and what happens in football can arrive in every part of the society."

Platini is widely expected to run for the Fifa presidency in four years time. This time, Platini's executive committee at Uefa has thrown its support behind Blatter, who has said he will serve a fourth and final term.

sports@thenational.ae

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North Pole stats

Distance covered: 160km

Temperature: -40°C

Weight of equipment: 45kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 0

Terrain: Ice rock

South Pole stats

Distance covered: 130km

Temperature: -50°C

Weight of equipment: 50kg

Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300

Terrain: Flat ice
 

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The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Explainer: Tanween Design Programme

Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.

The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

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Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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Company%20profile
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SPECS
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Moon Music

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Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

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Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km

Price: Dh380,000

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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The five pillars of Islam

Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

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Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
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Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Scoreline:

Barcelona 2

Suarez 85', Messi 86'

Atletico Madrid 0

Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)

Spain drain

CONVICTED

Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.

Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.

Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.

 

SUSPECTED

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.

Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.

Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.

Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.

Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.

AGL AWARDS

Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

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