The Brazil organizing committee gave the FIFA executive committee very expensive watches at the World Cup. It was a gift. Maybe a bribe. Who knows.
Michel Platini refuses to return World Cup watch FIFA says broke ethics rules
Harold Cunningham
But it definitely broke FIFA’s new ethics rule that members of the organization may not accept gifts beyond “symbolic or trivial value.” After all, the watches were worth $27,000.
A few FIFA executive committee members immediately returned the watches and reported the gift to the ethics committee. That was in June. And yet it took until now for FIFA to order them to give the watches back. But better than that, UEFA president Michel Platini won’t return his!
“If the ethics committee was not pleased, they should’ve told us that four months ago in Brazil, when we received the watches. They were aware that we were receiving these watches because everybody received them.”
That is entirely logical, which is why FIFA didn’t do it. It is also why they are giving members until October 24 to return the gifts, because apparently it takes six weeks to mail a watch.
To Platini’s credit, he has said that he will donate $27,000 to charity instead of returning the watch, so he’s not completely turning a blind eye to the issue. He just won’t return the watch. Why not?
“I don’t return gifts.”
Oh, FIFA, you’re so special.
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