Is Amos Adamu innocent afterall?

Phaedra Al Majid, who worked as a press officer for Qatar 2022 retracted her allegation that Jacques Anouma, of Ivory Coast, Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou and Amos Adamu, of Nigeria, were offered bribes of up to $1.5 million to vote for Qatar.

Last year, Fifa's ethics committee banned Nigeria's Adamu and Tahiti's Reynald Temarii following a Sunday Times investigation into World Cup bidding.

Adamu, who denies the claims and has taken his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, was banned for three years for seeking bribes from undercover reporters.

With this latest development, what happens to Amos Adamu?

Recently,in a letter to Fifa and the Qatar bid, accompanied by a sworn affidavit, the whistle-blower, Phaedra Almajid, claims that she lied because she was “hurt and bitter” at being placed under pressure by the bid for failing to control the international media reaction to Qatar’s bid. She said she has received no financial inducement to make her statement.

Almajid left the Qatar bid in November 2009 after being advised that she could be replaced. In the affidavit she said she “wanted to hurt the bid like they had hurt me”.

In her letter, circulated to Fifa, the Asian Football Confederation, the Confederation of African Football, the Qatar 2022 World Cup Bid, and the Nigerian, Ivorian and Cameroonian football associations, Almajid said: “I wish to offer a full and formal apology for the fabricated allegations concerning the Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup bid committee and Fifa executive committee members Issa Hayatou, Jacques Anouma and Amos Adamu.

“I have lied about all facts concerning the behaviour and practice of the Qatar 2022 bid. Never, at any time, were any bribes even offered, suggested or paid on behalf of the Qatar 2022 bid during any time in exchange for votes from Issa Hayatou, Jacques Anouma, and Amos Adamu.

“These allegations were in full a fabrication on my behalf. Never at any time did I wish, nor did I foresee, the extent to which these lies would be projected by the international media – even to the extent that they were presented to the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry into Football Governance.

“I am very sorry for any and all embarrassment caused to the various individuals and authorities concerned. I was very proud to work on behalf of the Qatar 2022 bid committee.

“I also wish to state that the decision to make this admission is entirely my own: I have not been subject to any form of pressure or been offered any financial inducement to do so.”

No hiding place for FIFA's Amos Adamu: EFCC

LAGOS- THERE may be no hiding place for disgraced former Director General, National Sports Commission (NSC) and suspended FIFA Executive Committee member, Amos Adamu, as indications have emerged that Nigeria’s anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is set to spread its drag net to various parts of the world in its bid to track him down.
Adamu has been banned for three years from all football related activities and fined 10,000 Swiss francs by the ethics committee of FIFA for complicity in a cash-for-votes scandal blown open by Sunday Times of London and for breaching various articles of FIFA Code of Ethics.
Although, the EFCC had said shortly after the news of Adamu’s suspension came on Thursday that he would be interrogated as soon as he returns to Nigeria, it was learnt yesterday the anti-graft agency was looking for a quick avenue to track Adamu as soon as possible.
The Spokesman of EFCC, Femi Babafemi had told Brilafm sports radio that Adamu had refused to return to Nigeria since the commission showed interest in investigating the scandal.
“The chairman of the commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri, has instructed our operatives in charge of the matter to liaise with FIFA and see how we can get evidence of the whole investigation against Amos Adamu. This is a case that we have been working on since, and the decision by FIFA solidifies our position. Adamu has refused to come to Nigeria since we showed interest in the matter,” Babafemi said.
Meanwhile, FIFA President, Sepp Blatter promised yesterday that a “new FIFA” would choose the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but admitted that changes would be needed to avoid corruption scandals.
Blatter sought to turn the page on the damaging World Cup bidding and corruption allegations after an executive committee meeting in Zurich, although he admitted that some collusion among FIFA’s decision makers was inevitable.
Nonetheless, FIFA’s president stressed that they were taking on greater responsibility now that world football’s showcase event was gaining more than sporting stature.
“Having this importance also in the economy, then we have a political dimension,” Blatter told journalists. “Now we have to have a look at how to act in the future to avoid such situations, definitely this is an item which is now under scrutiny,” he added, a day after FIFA’s ethics committee banned two executive committee members for one to three years over bribery or misconduct.

Amos Adamu declares self ready for FIFA probe

Nigeria's Amos Adamu a FIFA executive committee member will face the ethics panel hearing of FIFA at its Zurich headquarter today.

He was alleged to have asked for a $800,000 bribe to guarantee his vote for one of the bidding nations for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He has however declared he's ready to face the committee later in the day.

There are few Nigerians that elicit as much passion when their names are mentioned as Amos Adamu. He is as hated as much as he is loved.

Those who love him describe him as a generous individual, quick to dispense cash and favours. Through this quality his has built up a sizeable army of foot soldiers in the Nigerian sports establishment; men and women who are ready at a moment’s notice, to walk through fire for him.

At the other end are his many haters, those who see him as the embodiment of all that is wrong with Nigerian sports. To these people, he has spent decades building an empire at the expense of Nigerian sports, which he was supposed to develop - first, as Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports and then later as Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC).

Kojo Williams, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, NFA, who was impeached described the Adamu as a serious indictment of Nigeria. This is embarrassing. I think the Government should open all the papers on Adamu.

Ex-international, Adokiye laughed when he said, “Oyibo don catch am."
The Chief Justice said that there should be time to allow the appropriate quarters conduct investigation into the sordid scandal. “I think that we should allow time for them to conduct a thorough investigation first. But we know his antecedents. He hosted several tournaments without rendering accounts. He used his position as Director General of the National Sports Commission to acquire international positions. And it is so glaring that he used his positions in CAF and FIFA to serve his selfish ends. It is so embarrassing to this country."

Adamu has traversed the spectrum of Nigerian sports. A former university teacher, who holds a doctorate degree in Physical Education, he was appointed sole administrator of the Nigeria Football Association in 1992. A year later, he was appointed Director of Sports Development in the Ministry of Sports.

In 1999, he was actively involved in the organisation of the U-20 World Cup hosted by Nigeria and was also an intrinsic part of the organisation of Africa Cup of Nations jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana. That same year, he was chosen to head COJA, the organising committee of the 2003 All Africa Games, which Nigeria hosted.

Allegations of fraud rocked the organisation of the games and Adamu continues to face allegations of financial impropriety even though none of them has been proven. In 2005, he was named part of the organising committee of the 2010 World Cup hosted by South Africa. The following year, he became a member of the FIFA Executive committee and in 2007 became President of the West African Football Union (WAFU).

In 2008, Adamu was transferred from the Ministry of Sports to the office of the Head of Service of the Federation.