London Mayor cancels FIFA 2012 free hotel rooms

London Mayor Boris Johnson has revoked FIFA’s free hotel rooms at the city’s exclusive Dorchester hotel during the 2012 Olympic Games.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his team had been in line to benefit from the rooms during the two-week sporting extravaganza in the city.

However following the controversy of the 2018 World Cup vote, which saw England knocked out at the first-round stage with just two of a possible 22 votes from the FIFA executive committee, Johnson has decided that they should not receive the freebie.

He is yet to comment on the decision, which was taken after he met with Sebastian Coe, chairman of Olympic organising committee LOCOG – the body responsible for handing out the accommodation.

Russia was awarded the tournament and tiny gulf state Qatar the one four years later, which has led to a chorus of disapproval in the football world – and especially in England.

After the humiliation, Johnson – who lobbied for votes in Zurich alongside prime minister David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham – said the result was a “big blow and tremendously disappointing”.

“We put together a cracking bid, our technical specification was top-notch and our stadiums would have been packed to the rafters,” he added.

Also angry at the awarding again of the tournament to nations relatively lacking in facilities are the USA, Australia and Spain/Portugal.

England’s loss has been blamed by members of the FIFA committee on two media investigations into corruption within the organisation, while the Sunday Times has published further claims of ‘World Cup votes for sale’, quoting a “whistleblower”.

FA chief executive Alex Horne has said he will push for reform in the World Cup bidding process.
Source: Eurosport