FIFA, IOC turn blind eye to Chinese spies

Tag : blind china

CHINESE officials implicated in an embarrassing spy scandalinvolving a female Danish football team will not be punished afterthe International Olympic Committee's ethics committee's refusal toinvestigate the allegations.
The issue has raised security issues and privacy concerns forthousands of athletes in the build-up to the Beijing Games.
Investigative journalist Andrew Jennings yesterday reported on theseedy incident, which involved two unnamed Chinese men being caughtred-handed secretly filming the Danish women's team through atwo-way mirror at their team hotel during the World Cup in Chinalast September.
The Danish are furious that despite complaints to world footballbody FIFA and the IOC, nothing was done. They claim the incidentcould be repeated at the Olympics because the Chinese escapedcensure.
"If they can't give us athletes security at the World Cup in China,what will happen at the Olympics?" noted midfielder Anne DotEggers. "It's also about equality. If it had happened to a maleteam, this case wouldn't have been dead."
Jennings, who has been banned from FIFA congresses because of hisinvestigative revelations of FIFA's inner workings, yesterdayreported the Danish association chairman, Allan Hansen, said: "Itis grotesque that two Chinese men can sit behind a mirror andvideotape the Danish women's team. I am in no doubt that FIFA andthe Chinese police know who they are."
The Danish team was discussing team tactics in its hotel on the eveof their match against China in Wuhan when a team official noticeda movement from behind a black glass mirror. The officials calledthe hotel manager and demanded that a door be unlocked, revealingtwo men with cameras who were restrained by Danish officials untilpolice arrived.
"It seemed that they [the police] were protecting them," Eggerssaid.
The Chinese football association said they investigated the claimsbut "found there was no incident".
Infuriated, the Danish women complained to FIFA, who said thespying was not a sporting matter and a matter for the hotel andpolice.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, under pressure from Danish media, saidthere was a clear security failure and measures had been taken toensure it didn't happen again. Blatter, an IOC member, said hebelieved the Olympic Games would not be subject to such activities.
The IOC said the matter was for FIFA to investigate.