FIFA Ex-co Members in World Cup Bribery Sting

FIFA has launched an investigation into allegations that two FIFA Executive Committee members offered to sell their votes for cash in the competition to host the 2018 World Cup.

An online report in British newspaper, the Sunday Times, has video footage showing Nigerian Amos Adamu asking for $800,000 to fund pitches and Reynald Temarii, president of the Oceania Football Confederation, demanding about $2.4 million to pay for an academy.

Selling votes is in breach of FIFA's strict rules.

The undercover reporters claimed to be lobbyists for a consortium of American companies trying to solicit votes to bring the 2018 World Cup to the USA.

Adamu and Temarii are two of the 24 FIFA Ex-co members who will vote on the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in a secret ballot on Dec. 2 in Zurich.

The news broke just two days after the USA dropped out of the 2018 race to focus its efforts to land the 2022 tournament.

FIFA issued a statement today saying that its ethics committee had "closely monitored the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups and will continue to do so".

"FIFA has already requested to receive all of the information and documents related to this matter, and is awaiting to receive this material,"it said.

"In any case, FIFA will immediately analyze the material available andonly once this analysis has concluded will FIFA be able to decide on anypotential next steps."

In the video, Adamu, president of the West African Football Union, isseen telling reporters he wants the money paid directly to him,indicating it would buy the vote for the USA.

"Of course it will have an effect. Because certainly if you are to invest in that you also want the vote," he said.

Other allegations in the Sunday Times report include Temarii of Tahiticlaiming that supporters of two other 2018/2022 bidders had offered abribe of up to $12 million to his confederation in return for his vote.

The USA moved quickly to distance itself from the newspaper's reporting of the story.

"The Sunday Times report today makes it clear, but it bears emphasis andrepeating, that the USA bid committee had zero involvement with anyaspect of the reporting that resulted in this story," USA bid chairmanSunil Gulati told The Associated Press.

"This is a matter that is totally under the governance of FIFA, and therefore we will have no further comment."

The USA's withdrawal from the 2018 race, means that tournament will headto Europe to either England, Holland-Belgium, Russia or Spain-Portugal.

In the bid battle for the 2022 World Cup, the USA faces competition from Australia, Japan, Qatar, and South Korea.

Written by Mark Bisson.