Football
ESPN staff 10y

Sepp Blatter: "FIFA has taken the lead" in acting responsibly and ethically

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has insisted his organisation "has taken the lead" in acting responsibly and ethically in the wake of the latest scandal over the gift of watches worth 16,000 pounds at the World Cup in Brazil.

The Parmigiani watches -- worth over one million pounds in total -- were handed out to a representative from all 32 countries at the World Cup and the 28 members of the FIFA Executive Committee, according to FIFA's ethics investigators.

FIFA's ethics committee said accepting such valuable gifts violates its rules -- only gifts of "symbolic or trivial value" are permitted -- and has demanded that all the watches be returned by Oct. 24, otherwise it will launch disciplinary proceedings.

Blatter took to Twitter on Friday morning to reiterate the stance of world football's governing body, insisting it will be "at the forefront of governance standards in sport."

English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has confirmed he was given a watch and will return the gift. He said: "I had no idea of the value and it has been left untouched in my office since returning to England. We are already taking steps to return the bag and its contents -- which are still in their original packaging... I had actually set the bag aside in my box of items to donate to charity."

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 FIFA code 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."

The CBF said it had paid $8,750 U.S. for each watch, but the ethics committee has obtained an independent valuation of 25,000 Swiss francs (16,400 pounds).

The watches will be donated to an independent nonprofit organisation which is "committed to corporate social responsibility projects in Brazil" after they have been returned.

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