INTERPOL is announcing the suspension of its agreement with FIFA following investigations into corruption against football’s governing body.
Under a May 2011 agreement, INTERPOL received a donation from FIFA worth EUR 20 million to create a 10-year Integrity in Sport programme.
The decision by INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock will see the world police body freeze the use of financial contributions from FIFA.
INTERPOL’s Executive Committee endorsed the decision at its three-day (10 -12 June) meeting at the General Secretariat headquarters in Lyon, France.
The agreement with FIFA includes a clause which states that ‘the Funding Party declares notably that its activities are compatible with the principles, aims and activities of INTERPOL’.
“In light of the current context surrounding FIFA, while INTERPOL is still committed to developing our Integrity in Sport programme, I have decided to suspend the agreement,” said Secretary General Stock.
“All external partners, whether public or private, must share the fundamental values and principles of the Organization, as well as those of the wider law enforcement community,” added Mr Stock.
INTERPOL’s Integrity in Sport programme has helped international efforts across its 190 member countries to prevent the manipulation of sporting events and illegal gambling by criminal groups. Their ongoing criminal activities require a global response.
INTERPOL continues to closely monitor developments involving FIFA.
*In July 2015, INTERPOL terminated the agreement with FIFA and returned the EUR 2.9 million which remained unspent from the donation.