ZURICH, Switzerland, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- FIFA said Wednesday it suspended two members of its executive committee after allegations they offered to sell their votes to site the 2018 World Cup.
FIFA Ethics Committee Chairman Claudio Sulser said Nigerian member Amos Adamu and Oceania representative Reynald Temarii had been provisionally suspended from taking part in any football-related activity "in relation to the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups."
The moves came after The Sunday Times of London reported this week the pair in essence offered to sell their votes to undercover reporters posing as lobbyists for the American bid to land the 2018 World Cup.
FIFA said the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 events would be "investigated," throwing bidding nations into confusion as the Dec. 4 final vote on who will host the events quickly approaches.
"It's a sad day for football and a sad day for life because you can't always have sunny days," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said. "This is the bad side of football. But the good side of football is that we have immediately reacted."
He added, "Our society is full of devils and these devils you find them in football."
