FIFA Partner, Wanted in World Cup Ticket Scam, Is On the Run

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Brazilian police to investigate Fifa's involvement in £58million World Cup ticket-touting scam

• Detectives want to establish whether governing body was aware of deals
  
• Money laundering and tax evasion allegations also part of worldwide probe
  
• Brazilian prosecutor will enlist help of Interpol and other foreign forces
  
• Has said he wants to 'get to the bottom of it and everyone involved'
  
• Follows the arrest of Ray Whelan, the director of MATCH Hospitality
  

By WILLS ROBINSON
PUBLISHED: 01:50, 13 July 2014 | UPDATED: 08:53, 13 July 2014

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A wide-ranging investigation has been launched into Fifa's involvement in a £58million World Cup ticket-touting racket.
Detectives are keen to establish whether football's global governing body were aware of deals that saw thousands of tickets sold on the black market at hugely-inflated prices.
Police are trying to establish the source of the scam, but believe 'someone from Fifa' and a middleman from hospitality partners, MATCH, channelled tickets to illegitimate distributors.
The firm has become the centre of the scandal after the arrest of its British director, Ray Whelan, who is now considered a 'fugitive' after fleeing his Rio de Janeiro hotel last week.


Scandal: Brazilian police have said that 'someone in Fifa', based at the headquarters in Zurich (pictured) and an 'intermediary' from MATCH hospitality chanelled tickets to the black market



Fled: Ray Whelan, an executive at MATCH Hospitality, is the centre of a multi-million pound ticket-touting investigation and is now considered a 'fugitive' after fleeing from his Rio de Janeiro hotel last week

He is one of 12 suspects, along with Algerian businessmen Lamine Fofana, who have been arrested and questioned for their alleged part in the criminal conspiracy.

Police are believed to have filed charges against Whelan, Fofana and 10 others.

MATCH have been reported as saying that the charges against Whelan are baseless and that his arrest was illegal.

Around 22,000 hours of phone calls between a 'ringleader' and the Fifa headquarters in Switzerland are said to have been intercepted by police officers and will be used as the basis of the probe.
Brazilian prosecutor Marcos Kac, who is heading up the inquiry, is set to enlist the help of Interpol and a number of other foreign police forces to aid what could be the biggest investigation into illegal ticket sales in the tournament's history.

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He said he wanted to identify the source of the tickets and also probe the possibility that tax evasion and money laundering was involved.
Kac, who exposed the touting ring, told The Sunday Times: 'This next part of the investigation will be huge. We are going to get to the bottom of it and everyone involved.'
The prosecutor has also said he will look into the roles of Mexican brothers Jaime and Enrique Byrom, directors of MATCH Hospitality who also own their own company, Byrom, in Cheadle, Cheshire.


Probe: The prosecutor in the inquiry is Marcos Kac who claims he wants to 'get to the bottom of it and everyone involved'

The scandal has grown since the initial investigation which centred around Whelan, who is the former agent of England legend Sir Bobby Charlton.
Police in Rio de Janeiro have declared him 'a fugitive' after they attempted to re-arrest him as part of the investigation.
Officers arrived at the lavish Copacabana Palace hotel last week with an arrest warrant, but he was not there and police said they had CCTV footage of him leaving through a service door.
He has been described as the 'facilitator' who allowed a large ring of scalpers to have access to tickets, which they re-sold at vastly inflated prices.
The Copacabana Palace is also where police conducted parts of an undercover operation known as Jules Rimet named after the former FIFA president who launched the World Cup in 1930.


Police received recordings of mobile phone conversations between Whelan and Fofana, who is alleged to be the leader of the ticket touting ring, negotiating the sale of hospitality packages for £14,605 each in cash.
Whelan is now said to be on the run and could face ten years in jail if he is caught, but his legal team have said his arrest was 'illegal'.
MATCH were allocated about 445,000 World Cup tickets.

The latest set of allegations is part of a series of scandals involving Fifa. In June, the body, headed by Sepp Blatter, faced pressure to strip Qatar of the 2022 World Cup following corruption claims.

Sponsors Adidas, Visa and Sony expressed their anger after allegations emerged that the former vice president, Mohamed Bin Hammam, used bribes to secure votes for the country's bid.
Fifa made £1billion from sponsorship at the previous World Cup in South Africa and relies heavily on continued advertising revenue from major firms.
The governing body has said it takes a strong stance against ticket touts and will co-operate with any police investigation.


Armed presence: Brazilian National Force police officers stand guard outside the Copacabana Palace where Ray Whelan, of MATCH Services, had been staying




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Quote: in excess of $90 million per tournament. (just on tickets, alone)