ZURICH (AP) – FIFA’s ethics investigator has ordered football officials to return luxury watches worth more than US$25 000 over the coming weeks.
FIFA says the Brazilian federation distributed gift bags with the watches at the pre-World Cup Congress to the 28 executive committee members as well as an official with each of the 32 teams.
FIFA says that the Brazilians obtained the watches from sponsor Parmigiani for $8 750 each. But an appraisal found that the watches had a market value of 25 000 Swiss francs (US$26 600).
FIFA says ethics proceedings won’t be launched against officials who return the watches by October 24. The returned watches will then be donated to a non-profit organisation or “organisations committed to corporate social responsibility projects in Brazil”.
