The Ghana Football Association has been dragged into FIFA's
latest ”freebie” embarrassment as it emerged a member of the federation walked
away with a $25,000 luxury watch from the World Cup which must be handed back
by next month.
It had been believed that only members of FIFA's ruling
Executive Committee had been handed the specially designed Parmigiani watches
as a gift from the Brazilian FA at the Congress in Sao Paulo before the World
Cup.
But FIFA issued a statement from Investigations chief
Michael J Garcia which stated that the watches had also been given to ”a
representative from each of the 32 Member Associations competing in the 2014
FIFA World Cup ”as part of a gift bag presented in Brazil.
As Ghana also participated in the World Cup as one of the 32
countries in the competition, it is likely that a Ghana FA official received
the gift handed by the Brazilian.
If the gift pack was given the at the FIFA Congress, Ghana
FA chief Kwesi Nyantakyi is in the clear as he was not in attendance in that
meeting in Sao Paolo.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter was also on the list of
recipients but it is not known what happened to that watch, while Uefa
president Michel Platini is returning his.
If the GFA received the gift pack, they have until 24
October to return the gift to FIFA's ethics committee or risk disciplinary
action.
The commemorative gifts were handed out by one of the CBF's
sponsors to various people at the World Cup, including 28 members of Fifa's
executive committee.
The ethics committee said the Brazilian FA distributed 65
gift bags, each containing a Parmigiani watch, to a group comprising the
officials on the FIFA executive committee, a representative from each of the 32
national associations taking part in the World Cup and representatives from
other South American national associations.
The statement from the committee declared that the matter
came to light when several officials reported it to the ethics committee,
handing back their watches.
FIFA's ethics committee declared that the gifts are a breach
of the organisation's code of ethics and should not have been accepted, adding
that they want all watches returned by October 24.
That is because the value of the watches was in direct
contravention of regulations stating football officials may not offer or accept
gifts that have more than “symbolic or trivial value.”
Garcia's statement pointed out that officials must
“immediately report any potential breach” of the FIFA code, confirming that the
recipient should have checked the gift bags and then reported or returned the
watches.
He warned: ”The Investigatory Chamber will not pursue
further formal ethics proceedings against officials who submit the Parmigiani
watch by no later than October 24, 2014. All watches submitted will be donated
organisations committed to corporate social responsibility projects in Brazil.”
“The CBF should not have offered the watches, and those who
received gift bags should have promptly checked whether the items inside were
appropriate and, upon discovering the watch, either returned it or… reported
the matter to the investigatory chamber.
“The FIFA code of ethics plainly prohibits such gifts.
Football officials may not offer or accept gifts that have more than 'symbolic
or trivial value'.
“If in doubt, gifts shall not be offered or accepted.
Football officials are expected to be aware of the importance of their duties
and concomitant obligations and responsibilities.
“In an effort to resolve this matter expeditiously, the
investigatory chamber will not pursue further formal ethics proceedings in this
matter against officials who submit the Parmigiani watch they received from CBF
to the secretariat of the investigatory chamber by no later than October 24,
2014.”
FIFA said it had declined to distribute watches distributed
by Hublot, its official timekeeper, to executive committee members following
advice from the ethics committee.
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