The FIFA Ethics Committee announced Friday that there was «no substance» to back a complaint lodged against the global football body's general secretary Fatma Samoura, says Reuters. Samoura was accused of having an alleged undeclared family-link with former Liverpool forward El Hadji Diouf, who currently serves an ambassadorial role for the Moroccan 2026 World Cup bid. «The investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee has decided to close the case», said FIFA in a statement issued Friday. Samoura and Diouf both denied the allegations, stating that they were not family members. For the record, FIFA's general secretary full name is Fatma Diouf Samoura. Both Diouf and Samoura are from Senegal. «The investigatory chamber of the Ethics committee has conducted a preliminary review of the facts. After this analysis it became clear that the allegations brought forward had no substance and that no such family link exists between Ms Samoura and Mr Diouf», said the international body. Last week, Samoura said she has «a good idea who is conveying this message», adding that «the whole country of Senegal will laugh at FIFA Ethics... because everyone in my country knows the origin of El Hadji Diouf.» Morocco wants to host the 2026 World Cup, competing with the United States, Canada and Mexico which launched a joint proposal earlier this year. On the 13th of June, football federation from around the world will have to take part in a vote. The latter will decide the nation to host the international tournament.
