Fifa ExCo Members Ordered To Return £16000 Watches Given As Gifts

Members of Fifa's executive committee have been asked to return
watches they were given as gifts by the Brazilian Football
Confederation. .

Watches each worth more than £16,000 were handed out to a
representative from all 32 countries at the World Cup - including
England, according to Fifa's ethics investigators.

A Parmigiani watch was also distributed in a gift bag from the
Brazilian federation (CBF) in June to the 28 FIFA executive committee
members. It is unknown what happened to the gift bag for the English
FA.

Fifa's ethics committee said accepting such valuable gifts contravenes
its rules and has demanded that all the watches be returned by October
24 otherwise it will launch disciplinary proceedings.

A statement from the ethics committee said: "The CBF should not have
offered the watches, and those who received gift bags should have
promptly checked whether the items inside were appropriate and, upon
discovering the watch, either returned it or... reported the matter to
the investigatory chamber.

"The Fifacode of ethics plainly prohibits such gifts. Football
officials may not offer or accept gifts that have more than 'symbolic
or trivial value'.

"If in doubt, gifts shall not be offered or accepted. Football
officials are expected to be aware of the importance of their duties
and concomitant obligations and responsibilities.

"In an effort to resolve this matter expeditiously, the investigatory
chamber will not pursue further formal ethics proceedings in this
matter against officials who submit the Parmigiani watch they received
from CBF to the secretariat of the investigatory chamber by no later
than October 24, 2014."

The watches will then be donated to an independent non-profit
organisation "committed to corporate social responsibility projects in
Brazil", said the statement.

Several officials did report the watches to the ethics committee and
the CBF confirmed it had distributed 65 gift bags, each containing a
Parmigiani watch.

The recipients comprised "the 28 officials on the Fifa executive
committee, a representative from each of the 32 member associations
competing in the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil, and a representative from
each of the 10 member associations in Conmebol (the South American
confederation)", said the statement.

The CBF said they had paid 8,750 US dollars for each watch but that
the ethics committee had obtained an independent valuation of 25,000
Swiss francs (£16,400).