FIFA Corruption Suspension of Farah Addo Inconsequential

The two-year suspension by the World Soccer body, FIFA, of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) vice President Farah Weheliye Addo will not affect activities of the continental and regional soccer bodies, officials said.

Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) President Farah Addo said today in Kampala that the suspension will be inconsequential and is aimed at punishing him just as an individual.

He said that according to the letter from FIFA he was suspended from all activities in the world soccer body like being on standing committees which he said he does not belong to anyway and attending congresses.

Speaking in a broken voice after suffering a sore throat, the Somali soccer administrator said he still stands by his words that there was "vote buying" in the FIFA elections both in 1998 and 2002.

He said: "I still stand by my words that I supported allegations against FIFA President Sepp Blatter because I have evidence."

A January 20 letter from FIFA Disciplinary Committee chairman Marcel Mathier of Switzerland said the suspension of Addo was a result of statements that cited irregular financial practices that were intended to assist Sepp Blatter to win the FIFA Presidency in 1998.

Addo's statements also accused FIFA Executive Committee Member Mohammed Bin Hammam of Qatar as the person who bribed delegates on behalf of Sepp Blatter. The World soccer body said when the FIFA disciplinary Committee asked Addo to produce evidence he was unable to do so and only presented a photo of Mohammed Bin Hammam in a group of other delegates whom he allegedly bribed.

The controversial Somali soccer administrator said he has evidence of how Sepp Blatter bribed his way to the FIFA Presidency and how the world soccer body has been marred by corruption. He however said his suspension would not in any way affect his position in the Cairo-based continental soccer body, in CECAFA and even in his local Somali Football Federation which he heads as its President.

Addo said a CAF Executive Committee headed by Cameroonian President Issa Hayatou, who contested against Sepp Blatter the FIFA elections, convened in Cairo February 6 and backed Farah Addo.

The Somali official admitted, without naming countries, that there are some CECAFA members who are plotting to oust him from the regional soccer body.

On the Goal Project, Addo said all the 52 countries are supposed to benefit from the financial assistance, but added that the project was a campaign tool initiated by Sepp Blatter to win support from Africa.