Bribery is rumoured to be rife in sport...
Michael Uberoi reflects on the Bribery Act’s implications for sporting bodies
Bribery is rumoured to be rife in sport. Two high profile areas which make sport a fertile breeding ground for these allegations are:
l bidding processes for the right to stage high profile international sporting events; and
l the gambling activity that is parasitic upon most top level sport.
Numerous recent events suggest that sporting organisations may be ill prepared for the introduction of the Bribery Act next year. As the scope of this article is limited, it focuses on one recent set of facts.
England bid for the right to stage the 2018 World Cup
What this meant in practice was that the Football Association (FA) submitted its bid to FIFA, of which it is a member.
The FA had established “England 2018” to submit its bid and run its candidacy. England 2018 is a private limited company, and would therefore be classified as a “relevant commercial organization” for the purpose of s 7 of the Bribery Act.
The vote of the FIFA Executive
