Ivorian denies World Cup Bribe

Ivorian ex-Fifa executive Jacques Anouma has told the BBC that he did not accept a $1.5m (£1m) bribe over Qatar's successful 2022 World Cup bid.

His denial comes amid a criminal investigation by Swiss prosecutors into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

Anouma said that justice should now be left to run its course.

The Swiss investigation follows the indictment of seven top Fifa officials in May, accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m.

Anouma also said that $2m paid by Qatar to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) in 2010, ahead of the final World Cup vote, did not oblige African members to vote for the Gulf nation.

Negotiations with Qatari officials for the $1.5m bribe are alleged to have taken place in a hotel in the Angolan capital Luanda, during the Caf annual Congress in 2010.

But Anouma said there was no way he could have been involved as he wasn't even in the country at the time, having instead stayed behind in Ivory Coast.

Qatar denies any allegations of bribery in relation to its 2022 World Cup bid.