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FIFA vice president denies corruption allegations

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

A vice president of soccer’s governing body denied allegations he received favors for backing Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup in a vote already marred by accusations of corruption.

FIFA executive Issa Hayatou is also the head of African soccer. In a statement, the Confederation of African Football called the corruption allegations by The Sunday Times newspaper “fanciful” and “ridiculous.”

The British newspaper said that banned former Qatari official Mohammed bin Hammam, once a FIFA vice president, targeted African officials with cash gifts, luxury trips and other favors to influence the voting four years ago.

Among the denials, Hayatou said bin Hammam did not arrange treatment for him at a private clinic in return for support. The African federation also said Hayatou did not receive “valuable gifts” on a trip to Doha and has “never received any money” from Bin Hammam, the emir of Qatar or any member of the Qatar bid committee.

Hayatou was one of four Africans on FIFA’s executive committee when it chose Russia and Qatar as World Cup host countries for 2018 and 2022 in a process tarnished by accusations of vote buying. Ultimately, only three of those African members voted after Nigeria’s Amos Adamu was suspended from the votes and later banned from soccer for three years for seeking bribes during the bidding. Adamu was exposed in an undercover investigation by The Sunday Times.

The Sunday Times now says bin Hammam used slush funds to make payments to accounts controlled by the presidents of 30 African soccer associations as part of an attempt to eventually influence the voting African members on the executive committee.

The African federation said Hayatou “denied categorically” the string of allegations. The organization said the allegations include:

–Hayatou received expensive gifts from bin Hammam on a trip to Doha in December 2009, a year before the World Cup vote.

–He was involved in a payment of $400,000 to the soccer federation in his native Cameroon through FIFA’s Goal project, which bin Hammam headed at the time.

–He received 60 World Cup tickets from bin Hammam just before the December 2010 World Cup vote.

–Bin Hammam arranged for Hayatou, who has suffered from ill health, to be treated at a private clinic after he voted for Qatar to get the World Cup.

–Hayatou accepted luxury accommodation and business class tickets from Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organizing committee.

The Sunday Times said a “senior FIFA insider” had provided it with “hundreds of millions of emails, accounts and other documents” detailing bin Hammam’s attempts to build support for Qatar’s bid using money and favors. Bin Hammam was a member of FIFA’s executive committee for 16 years and president of the Asian Football Confederation, but was expelled from FIFA in 2012 for financial corruption.

Current AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement Monday he had “grave concerns” over the new allegations against Qatar’s World Cup bid process but was “convinced” the organizing committee “will do their utmost to clear the doubts.”

The 67-year-old Hayatou has been the head of African soccer since 1987. He has said this will be his last term of office.

In 2011, Hayatou was reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee for receiving money from former World Cup marketing company ISL in the mid-1990s. An investigation into a kickbacks scandal involving former FIFA President Joao Havelange found Hayatou accepted $20,000 from ISL. He said the money was for an African federation function and not him personally.

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Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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