Loan gone awry
Kelly resigns from post at head of English FA
Posted: Tuesday December 15, 1998 06:08 PM
| |
Kelly supposedly offered a loan to the Welsh FA as a bribe to help a colleague Mark ThompsonAllsport |
LONDON (AP) -- Graham Kelly quit as chief executive of the
English Football Association on Tuesday in the latest potential
bribery scandal to hit the sports world.
The stunning move arises out of a 3.2 million pound ($5.34
million) loan promised to the Welsh FA. Newspaper reports
have interpreted as an attempted bribe to help FA chairman Keith
Wiseman gain a high-ranking FIFA position.
According to spokesman David Davies, FA members accepted Kelly's
resignation and also passed a vote of no confidence in Wiseman
although he had refused to quit. Davies did not say whether Kelly had any connection with the loan.
The FA scandal comes at a time when bribery allegations are rife
in Olympic circles. International Olympic Committee executive board
member Marc Hodler has alleged the practice of buying and selling
of votes in the election of host cities.
Last month, the Mail on Sunday carried a report saying that
Wiseman had unilaterally pledged a loan to the Welsh FA and failed
to provide satisfactory explanations to the executive committee.
According to the paper, the move came shortly after he had
received the Welsh FA's backing to help his nomination as a FIFA
vice-president.
Tuesday's announcement came from Davies after a meeting of the
FA executive committee at its headquarters at Lancaster Gate in
west London.
"The FA's executive committee met today to discuss the
positions of our chairman and chief executive," Davies said.
"This followed contacts over recent months with the Football
Association of Wales and the actions in that connection of Keith
Wiseman and Graham Kelly.
"The executive committee has this afternoon accepted the
resignation of Graham Kelly. They have thanked him for his 10 years
of dedicated work at Lancaster Gate and wished him well for the
future.
"They have also passed a unanimous vote of no confidence in the
chairman Keith Wiseman," Davies said. "He was informed of this
personally by the vice-chairman, Geoff Thompson. He has declined to
resign.
"The executive will seek endorsement for their action at a
special FA council meeting in early January. This vote of no
confidence, I stress, was taken unanimously by an executive
committee that represents all sections of the game.
"It was taken with sadness and only after considerable
examination of all the circumstances, it was not taken lightly.
"Contrary to some unfair speculation it wasn't part of any
personal campaign against any individual." Davies said. "Such an
outcome has been painful for all those involved in taking the
decision."
Davies then read out a statement from Wiseman.
"The issue is one for the full Football Association Council,"
he said.
"I do not intend to make any comment at all until I have shared
the full circumstances of this matter with them all -- save that the
version of events carried hitherto in the national press is a gross
distortion of the truth."
At the time of the Mail on Sunday story, Wiseman said he always
acted "in the interests of the FA."
"There is nothing wrong or unusual in helping smaller
footballing nations -- be they close neighbors or those further
afield -- in financial and othr ways with their development plans
and youth programs," he said.
Welsh FA president John Hughes said there was "nothing
sinister" in the English FA's offer of financial help.
"All that money was to go to charity, the Welsh football trust,
to help promote and develop our youth and women's football in
Wales," he said. "There was nothing sinister in it and it
certainly had nothing to do with the senior side.
"What has happened has upset me and I am quite shocked at the
news of Graham's resignation because he is a great friend. The FA
have lost a good man."
Davies said the executive committee decided that he would take
over Kelly's position for the time being and that Thompson would
take Wiseman's position, pending the FA Council meeting.
"It is the wish of the executive committee that the
vice-chairman Geoff Thompson should lead the FA in the immediate
future," Davies said.
"They have also asked me to become executive director in
overall charge of everyday running of the FA for the time being. I
do so in the confidence that I have the backing of the staff."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
