Bid official casts doubts on Cup probe

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A FORMER senior official on Australia's World Cup bid who was interviewed by the FIFA probe into claims of corruption says she has no faith it will lead to any reform of football's world governing body.

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Bonita Mersiades was head of communications for the bid, until she was sacked after falling out with the international lobbyists that the bid spent millions on employing.

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She has been interviewed by Michael Garcia, the US attorney who is investigating the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

But despite fresh evidence linking millions in bribes to Qatar's success, Mersiades said she felt there was "no appetite for reform" and that Garcia's report would be sidelined.

"I would say it is unlikely they (FIFA) have an appetite for doing anything to fix it. We'll never know what he finds or recommends — he's undertaken investigations that then go to the adjudicatory chamber to make the decisions. One of the things we should be advocating in this six-week period between when he finalizes his findings, and then submits his report — is that they be made public. The ethics program was changed by Sepp Blatter, precisely in order so that the findings could NOT be made public" says Mersiades.

FIFA has come under renewed pressure to strip Qatar of its hosting rights following allegations in Britain's Sunday Times that disgraced former AFC President, Mohammed bin Hammam, was central to its bid. The report claims bin Hammam used a $5 million slush fund to "buy" votes for Qatar — allegations strenuously denied by the Qataris.

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Mersiades believes such reports are why the Garcia investigations don't go far enough.

"There have been allegations of corruption for too many years. As the saying goes, the fish stinks from the head down. If we are to have the FIFA we want, we need a completely new organization. That may be ambitious, or pie in the sky, but the people who can make that change happen are governments and sponsors. If I was running one of those multinational companies and saw my brand name associated with an organization like this, I'd be concerned — and there are plenty of other things out there to sponsor, " says Mersiades.

Some view the constant attention given to the 2010 decisions merely as "sour grapes" from embittered losing bidders, such as England and Australia. But Mersiades rejects that notion — and believes Australia in particular, has a duty to try to lead from the front.

"This is not sour grapes at all. Can't we stand for something? Don't we have values? Frank Lowy in particular says publicly how much he's been burnt by all this. He's in an unassailable position — he's 84, he's extraordinarily wealthy, he has nothing to lose by taking a leadership role on this, so long as he has nothing to hide," she says.

"We are a country with strong democratic traditions — we have a good understanding of corporate governance. I think the most constructive thing to do — and this is why I'm still talking about it — is to try and fix the process. And if that means reforming the governing body, we have to push for it," says Mersiades.

Michael Garcia is continuing his investigations in Qatar this week — with his work set to conclude on 9th June, ahead of the official submission of the findings to FIFA. The Qataris insist they will do everything to defend the integrity of their country's bid.

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