One month before the start of the World Cup, the investigation into the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar in December 2010 continues. Former FIFA vice-president Reynald Temarii, a consultant and a lawyer were thus placed under the status of assisted witness in this case. Summoned to be indicted, the former Tahitian president of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) was placed under the intermediate status of assisted witness in November 2021. The same status, less incriminating than the indictment, was granted in July to the lawyer of Temarii, Me Géraldine Lesieur, and to the consultant Jean-Charles Brisard.
In this part of the judicial investigation opened in 2019 at the Paris court, the investigating judge is interested in the roles of Temarii, his lawyer and Brisard the days preceding the designation of the host country. Suspended for one year by the International Football Federation on November 17, 2010 for violation of the code of ethics after articles of the Sunday TimesReynald Temarii could no longer sit on the executive committee on December 2, 2010 for the vote.
Temarri knocks Australia out against Qatar
The OFC therefore had to designate a replacement who would have granted his vote to Australia, then to the United States from the second ballot. However, Reynald Temarii appealed his suspension on the night of November 30 to December 1 when he had previously announced that he accepted the sanction. By appealing, according to the FIFA statutes, he deprived the OFC of a representative during the vote and therefore the United States of a vote. On December 2, 2010, Qatar won ahead of the United States, yet favorites.
Investigations revealed that Temarii’s defense costs were funded by the influential Qatari Mohamed Bin Hammam. This sum (300,000 euros) was paid to Jean-Charles Brisard’s company, JCB Consulting, via a “backdated” agreement. “This money was in no way linked to the World Cup,” assured Reynald Temarii during his hearing.