Greg Dyke: FA chairman concerned by World Cup 'bungs'
Last updated on .From the section Football
Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has questioned if any World Cup bid has been won without "a pile of bungs".
Wolfgang Niersbach quit as president of the German football federation (DFB) amid claims payments were made to officials at world football's governing body Fifa during the bidding process for the 2006 World Cup.
Germany beat England, South Africa and Morocco to host the 2006 event.
"It is like The Archers. Every week something is happening," said Dyke.
"You begin to be convinced almost no World Cups have been allocated without a pile of bungs," Dyke added.
The Germans beat South Africa by one vote after New Zealand delegate Charles Dempsey abstained.
Niersbach denies any wrongdoing but said he had taken the decision to quit in order to "protect the DFB". He remains a member of Uefa and Fifa executive committees.
In October, the head of Germany's organising committee, Franz Beckenbauer, said he made a "mistake" in the bidding process to host the 2006 World Cup, but denied that votes were bought.
The 70-year-old denied sending "money to anyone in order to buy votes" in a statement on 18 October, but gave further details after being questioned by a law firm hired by the DFB to investigate the claims.
"In order to get a subsidy from Fifa [for the organisation of the 2006 World Cup] those involved went ahead with a proposal from the Fifa finance commission that in today's eyes should have been rejected," he said.
Beckenbauer has also recently been investigated by Fifa as he was one of 22 men to vote on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He was provisionally banned by Fifa for "failing to co-operate" with its ongoing inquiry into the bidding process.
| More on the athletics doping scandal |
|---|
| The doping crisis in 60 seconds |
| Key questions answered |
| Can athletics learn from other sporting scandals? |
| What if the trust goes out of sport? |
Dyke's comments come after a World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) commission report recommended Russia should be banned from athletics competition.
Wada's independent commission examined allegations of doping, cover-ups, and extortion in Russian athletics.
Dick Pound, author of the damning report, has said Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko - who is also on Fifa's executive committee - must have been aware of the level of cheating.
Mutko has denied knowledge of any wrongdoing, but Dyke questioned whether he should stay on the board of world football's governing body.
"I don't know where it ends," said Dyke. "You need a completely reformed organisation because you can't carry on like this.
"Whether someone who is involved in all that can stay on the board of Fifa is something Fifa needs to address very quickly. There has to be a question mark."
Nations seek compensation over World Cup 2018
Two weeks ago, suspended Fifa president Sepp Blatter suggested there was an agreement in place for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup - before the vote took place.
And now England, the Netherlands and Belgium are seeking legal advice over whether to claim compensation for the cost of their respective failed bids.
The Dutch and Belgian bid, which cost 10m euros (£7m), went up against another joint venture from Portugal and Spain, as well as individual entries from England and Russia.
England were eliminated after the first round of voting, while the Dutch-Belgian bid finished third in the second round, and Russia went on to be declared winners.
Belgian FA president Francois de Keersmaecker said: "In agreement with our Dutch colleagues we have asked a legal firm to see if we can claim for compensation.
"It was unethical to allow us to incur unnecessary costs while the outcome of the bidding process had already been determined."