Worawi, Beckenbauer caught up in Fifa corruption probe
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Worawi Makudi's long-held post on Fifa's executive committee is under threat after he was named among five football officials being investigated in a probe into possible corruption in bidding to hold World Cup tournaments.
A person familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity, has confirmed that Football Association of Thailand president Worawi is one of three Fifa board members under investigation for their part in selecting the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts back in 2010.
The investigation came after football’s governing body announced last week a “number of formal cases had been opened against individuals following US attorney Michael Garcia’s report into alleged corruption during World Cup bidding process which resulted in Russia being awarded the tournament in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.
Along with Worawi, who has been a member of Fifa’s powerful executive committee since 1997, the other two executives under investigation are Fifa vice president Angel Maria Villar of Spain, and Michel D’Hooghe of Belgium.
The two officials under suspicion are Germany’s former World Cup-winning coach and player Franz Beckenbauer and Harold Mayne-Nicholls of Chile, who led Fifa’s inspection of the bids. Villar and Worawi now risk losing their Fifa seats if the inquiry results in their provisional suspension from football-related activity – which would prevent them from standing in upcoming elections to represent their continental confederations on Fifa’s board. Fifa ethics committee chairmen Garcia and German judge Joachim Eckert usually impose provisional suspensions on officials when cases are pending, and the two board members are due for re-election.
While the grounds for investigating the three Fifa executives have not been made public, Worawi has already come under scrutiny over his possible involvement in a gas deal between Thailand and Qatar shortly before the vote in December, 2010.
The Thai FA boss was also accused by England 2018 bid chairman Lord Triesman of demanding TV rights to a proposed England vs Thailand friendly, in exchange for his vote. He was later cleared of those allegations by Fifa’s ethics committee.
The Thai FA boss was quoted as saying by foreign media that he was willing to fully cooperate with Fifa’s investigation.
“I will answer every question they ask. But I still don’t understand why I am facing the probe. I’m confident I’ve done nothing wrong,” said Worawi, whose four-year mandate from the Asian Football Confederation expires soon.
