FIFA summons CFU members to Miami meeting

FIFA has sent a letter to Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials asking them to produce evidence to prove allegations that they were offered bribes by former presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hamman.

British media reported Tuesday that the request was sent by the secretary of FIFA's ethics committee, Marc Cavaliero, to the 25 members of the CFU. The reports said Cavaliero demanded that the CFU members attend a three-day tribunal in Miami.

SKY news reported that the letter warned that while CFU members are not obliged to attend the meeting the FIFA Ethics Committee "may draw a negative inference" if they don't attend.

The Guardian in the UK reported that at least CFU member has complained to FIFA that the investigation is "biased" towards the USA, which lost its bid for the 2022 games to Qatar.

The paper said the letter of complaint states: "The investigation is tainted and biased and clearly has a US-driven agenda."

It asks FIFA president Sepp Blatter to replace ex-FBI director Louis Freeh with a "truly independent investigator and secure a neutral venue for the interview of any Caribbean Football Union member other than the USA".

Freech's agency is investigating claims that bin Hamman tried to bribe CFU delegates at a meeting in Port of Spain last month.

The letter also points out that former American President Bill Clinton worked on the USA 2022 bid during the time Freeh was FBI director.

Bin Hammam, the president of the Asian Football Federation, stood down from last week's presidential election hours before FIFA suspended him over the bribery allegations. His withdrawal allowed Blatter to win re-election unopposed.