MOSCOW (Sputnik) — British reporter Andrew Jennings claimed Thursday that crucial documents he had given to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) triggered the arrests of FIFA senior officials involved in a corruption scandal.
I gave the FBI the crucial documents that triggered yesterday's arrests. There will be more to come. Blatter is a target.
— Andrew Jennings (@AAndrewJennings) 28 мая 2015
“I gave the FBI the crucial documents that triggered yesterday's arrests. There will be more to come. [FIFA president Joseph] Blatter is a target,” Jennings said in his Twitter.
On Wednesday, seven high-ranking FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich on US federal charges, including fraud, racketeering, money laundering, as well as illegal marketing and broadcasting deals over the last 20 years. According to FIFA spokesman Walter De Gregorio, Blatter is not involved in the scandal.
In 2010, Jennings presented an episode in the BBC documentary series Panorama titled FIFA’s Dirty Secrets. During the program, he accused three members of FIFA’s executive committee of corruption.
When asked about whether Russia should be stripped of the privilege of hosting the 2018 World Cup, the spokesman said that the current criminal case and internal reforms were the priority at the present time.
The comments come one day before elections for the FIFA presidency. Only two nominees – current four-time FIFA president Blatter, employed in this position since 1998, and current FIFA Vice President for Asia, Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan – are running for the FIFA presidency.
