Fifa candidate Sheikh Salman denies British MP’s allegations of inappropriate funds use
British Member of Parliament Damian Collins used parliamentary privilege on Tuesday to accuse Fifa presidential candidate Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of taking development project funds to finance an election bid.
The claims, made in a speech in the UK House of Commons, were swiftly rejected by Salman, who is battling Gianni Infantino, the Swiss general secretary of European soccer body UEFA and three other candidates, for the top job in world football.
Conservative MP Collins, a supporter of the campaign group “New FIFA Now” made the allegations relating to Salman’s attempt in 2009 to be elected to the Fifa executive committee and his 2013 successful election to the presidency of the Asian Football Confederation.
Fifa will vote on Friday for a new president to replace Sepp Blatter, who has been banned from the game for eight years.
In August 2009 Sheikh Salman, then Bahrain FA president, was accused of using Fifa financed sports development budgets to fund his unsuccessful campaign for Fifa executive committee election
Collins, who made his allegations in the form of a petition in the House of Commons, alleged Salman had misused Fifa funds meant for developing football.
