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LONDON -- FIFAs decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar came under further scrutiny as a British newspaper published new allegations that Mohamed Bin Hammam used his wealth and top level contacts to buy support for the oil-rich countrys successful bid. Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Authentic Font Long Sleeve NFL T-Shirt Dark Blue . The Sunday Times, which last week claimed that the former FIFA Executive Committee member made payments totalling $5 million to senior football officials to seal support for Qatar, also accused Bin Hammam of using $1.7million to secure key Asian votes. It alleged that Bin Hammam arranged government level talks for Thailands FIFA executive Worawi Makudi to discuss a gas sale "potentially worth tens of millions of dollars to Thailand" and that he was invited to visit Vladimir Putin before Russia and Qatars victories in the votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Under a front-page headline of "Gas deal turns heat on World Cup," the newspaper alleged that Bin Hammam arranged meeting and favours for voters in the months leading to the ballots. The 2010 vote, which awarded footballs biggest tournament to the tiny desert state, is under investigation by FIFAs independent ethics prosecutor. Qatar organizers deny any wrongdoing. In a statement released on Saturday following its Executive Committees second meeting of the year in Sao Paulo, FIFA said "the executive reaffirmed its position of letting the ethics committee complete its work before making any comment." According to the newspaper, which says it had access to millions of secret documents during its investigation, Bin Hammam brokered two secret meetings with Qatari royals to discuss a major gas deal with a senior aide to Makudi. "The exact nature of the deal on the table is unclear, but it came as Thailand sought to save tens of millions of pounds by renegotiating an arrangement with Qatar to purchase 1 million tons of liquefied natural gas each year at a contractual price it considered too high," the newspaper said. The Sunday Times said that Makudi denied that he had received a personal "concession" from his involvement but did not elaborate. Bin Hammam is no longer a committee member of world footballs governing body after being caught up in a corruption scandal surrounding his failed campaign for its presidency in 2011. The Sunday Times claimed that the $1.7 million Bin Hammam paid to Asian officials from funds controlled by his private company Kemco were used as he was campaigning for both the Qatar World Cup bid and for his own re-election to the post of president of the Asian Football Confederation. The newspaper said he was invited to a meeting by Russia to discuss "bilateral relations" in sport between Qatar and Russia on October 30, 2010, a month before the vote on the bids. "Two days later, Qatars ruling emir also flew to Moscow for talks about joint gas production deals between the two countries," the Sunday Times said. #25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mike James Orange Youth Jersey Elite Alternate Nike NFL . -- Kyle Blanks homered in his home debut at the Coliseum and Derek Norris capped Oaklands five-homer day with a grand slam and the Athletics snapped a season-long four-game losing streak with a 10-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on Monday. Womens Orange Evan Dietrich-Smith Alternate Limited NFL Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey . Leverkusen came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1 and secure fourth place immediately above Wolfsburg, which beat sixth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1. "We knew we had to win," Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok said. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Mike Leake still thinks of himself as a hitter. Hes even holding a bat on one of his 2014 baseball cards. So far, hes playing like his picture. Leake doubled and hit a two-run homer Tuesday night, ending Gerrit Coles winning streak and leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates that completed two days full of homers and delays. First, the NL Central rivals completed a game that was suspended in the sixth inning because of rain the previous night. Andrew McCutchen doubled and came around on Russell Martins single in the seventh inning, giving the Pirates an 8-7 win. Leake (2-1) gave up three runs and five hits in 6 2-3 innings for a split. The right-hander has won his last four starts against the Pirates. Jonathan Broxton pitched out of a two-on threat in the ninth, converting his first save chance. Leake, who has the most hits by a major league pitcher since 2010, doubled and scored in the third. He hit his third career homer in the sixth off Cole (2-1), who had won his last six starts. His first homer since 2012 showed why the card company decided on a photo of him holding a bat. "And that comes after my worst year hitting," Leake said. "It was bad timing on their part." Reds manager Bryan Price is impressed by how Leake approaches batting practice. Hes not just another pitcher trying to get in a few swings. "He loves the challenge," Price said. "Even when you come out early, hes not just hitting. Hes running the bases and working on little things. "When we give him the green light early in the at-bat, he works on getting a good pitch to hit." Leake got a good one from Cole, who left it up and over the plate. It wasnt the first time that Cole had seen him latch onto a mistake. Cole went to UCLA and faced Leake when he played for Arizona State. "That guys a good hitter as a pitcher," Cole said. "I saw that at Arizona State. He wore us out at the plate. Thats not the first time hes done stuff like that." Todd Frazier hit his second homer in two games, Joey Votto had four hits and Devin Mesoraco had three hits, including a bases-loaded single. Clinton McDonald Youth Red Jersey Tampa Bay Buccaneers Elite Nike NFL Home. Neil Walker hit three of Pittsburghs seven homers in the two games. The teams wore their customary uniforms for the completion of the suspended game, then switched to commemorative No. 42 Jackie Robinson jerseys for the later game, which started 5 minutes later than originally scheduled. Its been a wild series full of downpours, lead changes and home runs. The teams put on a record-setting show Monday night before the game was suspended after six innings tied 7-all. They combined for 10 homers in those six innings, the most for a game in Great American Ball Parks 12 seasons. When play resumed, McCutchen doubled off Sam LeCure (0-1) and came around on a wild pitch and Martins single up the middle, only the second run of the game that didnt come by way of a homer. Bryan Morris (2-0) gave up Mesoracos tying solo homer in the sixth inning Monday night, but was still the pitcher of record. Jason Grilli pitched the ninth for his fourth save in five chances. Pittsburgh had three sets of back-to-back homers before the game was suspended, only the third time thats happened in major league history, according to STATS. The other two times: Cincinnati against the Braves in 1956, and Boston against the Yankees in 1977. Walker and Gaby Sanchez went back-to-back twice, only the second time thats happened in Pirates history. Toby Atwell and Jerry Lynch also went back-to-back twice against the Reds on April 27, 1954, according to STATS. Pittsburgh hit six homers -- all solo shots -- and the Reds had four, all with two outs. NOTES: It was 66 degrees for the first pitch on Monday, 39 degrees when the game resumed. ... Leake has 59 career hits and 12 multihit games. ... Mesoraco is 11 for 22 with three homers and nine RBIs in six games since returning from the DL. ... Pittsburghs six homers in the suspended game were one shy of the club record. The six solo homers were one shy of the major league record. ... The Pirates have 15 homers in their last four games at Great American. They also hit six during an 8-3 win on Sept. 28 that clinched home-field advantage for the NL wild-card playoff, a 6-2 win over Cincinnati at PNC Park. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
