FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen presented a "bombshell" of a document yesterday alleging corruption at the top of world soccer's governing body and hinting that two members of the executive committee could face criminal charges.
Zen-Ruffinen (43), told a news conference after a 10-hour extraordinary meeting of the committee: "I am not Mr Clean, but it is time that FIFA cleaned up its house. I do not want to go into detail, but two people have been bought."
He claimed to have uncovered matters "worthy of a criminal investigation".
Zen-Ruffinen delivered his 30-page dossier on yet another day of high drama in the crisis that has engulfed FIFA since the collapse of its marketing partner ISL-ISMM last year with debts of around $300 million.
Zen-Ruffinen was sitting next to FIFA president Sepp Blatter at the news conference after the two men had got back on speaking terms following two weeks of a fall-out between them.
"Things have to improve. I can work with the president but not as we have been doing, " said the general secretary. Zen-Ruffinen refused to name the executive committee members he was targeting.
Earlier yesterday, Blatter said that five of the seven FIFA vice-presidents had asked him to stand down. But he told the news conference: "Stand down from what? I am elected by the congress. If the congress do not want me I will stand down, but I hope they do want me to stay."
Blatter is standing for election for a second term as president at the FIFA congress in Seoul on May 29th.
Meanwhile, Gary Neville claims he has already come to terms with missing out on the World Cup. Neville knew he had been fighting a losing battle and was given the news he had been dreading at a meeting with Manchester United's medical team and the club's orthopaedic consultant yesterday.
Neville (27) then told England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson not to include him in his squad of 23 to be announced on Thursday.
South Africa striker Shaun Bartlett will not play at the World Cup after failing to recover from a torn Achilles tendon.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND UNDER-21 SQUAD (for Toulon Tournament, starting tomorrow): J Murphy (Tranmere), G Stack (Arsenal), J Goodwin (Celtic), B O'Callaghan (Barnsley), J O'Shea (Manchester United), C Byrne (Sunderland), K Foy (Nottingham), T Butler (Sunderland), B Cash (Nottingham), P Tierney (Manchester United), L Miller (Celtic), M Doyle (Celtic), S Byrne (West Ham), J Gamble (Reading), A Reid (Nottingham), G Barrett (Arsenal), J Daly (Stockport), P Heffernan (Notts County), J Douglas (Blackburn Rovers), B Burgess (Brentford), D Mattis (Huddersfield).
