International soccer’s governing body announced it wants to speak with 10 more officials as it investigates a bribery-for-votes scandal.

In a statement, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, said it “asked the 10 officials for further interviews” and said their cases will be submitted by mid-November to the FIFA Ethics Committee. It brings the number of Caribbean officials investigated in the scandal to 26.

The case stems from a meeting May 10 in Trinidad & Tobago at which a candidate to lead FIFA, Mohamed bin Hammam, allegedly offered $40,000 bribes to Caribbean soccer officials through Jack Warner, president of the Caribbean union, to vote for him in an election.

Once the scandal surfaced, Bin Hammam dropped out of the June 1 election, which was won unopposed by incumbent Joseph “Sepp” Blatter.

Bin Hammam has since been banned for life, though he’s appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and accusing FIFA of racism. Warner, who resigned from soccer and was exonerated by FIFA, has recently been on a tear, accusing Blatter and other top soccer officials of “Zionism” for reaching such a verdict on bin Hammam.

6:44 pm  •  26 October 2011  •  1 note