SAO PAULO, SP (FOLHAPRESS) – British journalist Andrew Jennings died last Saturday (8) at the age of 78.
According to information published on his social media account on Monday (10), he could not resist a “small and sudden illness”.
Known for his investigative journalism, which by then uncovered hidden scandals by major sporting bodies, Jennings was already a veteran BBC reporter when he investigated the IOC (International Olympic Committee) in the late 1980s. Started his career in this field with Turn to the excesses in FIFA, the highest authority in world football.
He has published books such as “Lord of the Rings” (1992) and “Foul Game?? The Secret World of FIFA” (2011).
His work has been one of the pillars of investigation in recent years against so-called FIFAgate such as FIFA. Brazilians such as Joo Havelange and Ricardo Teixeira deserved their condemnation. In Brazil, Jennings was heard by the CPI do Futebol in the Federal Senate.
The actions of the Swiss police and the US Justice Department against corruption in football were topics that excited the British journalist.
After FIFA’s top echelons were first arrested in 2015, Jennings said that even if he didn’t spend long in prison, the episode was an opportunity to “cleanse” the football world of its nasty problems.
“They [os procuradores dos Estados Unidos] All documents are there. they’re looking at nike contracts [com a CBF], These are exciting times. Here’s your chance to build Brazilian football from scratch. Now is the time for the Brazilian government to come and say that it is going to organize football. You [brasileiros] Voted for this government. If the CBF cleans up, Brazil will be making a legitimate contribution to world football”, he told Folha de S Paulo newspaper at the time.
In addition to books, the journalist produced episodes of the British BBC documentary series Panorama. Two are standing outside. His debut on the board coincided with allegations of bribery within FIFA in 2006.
Then, in 2010, a version circulated which revealed that the directors of FIFA had admitted to receiving bribes to vote in Russia to host the 2018 World Cup, and that the Brazilian Ricardo Teixeira was among the names mentioned by Jennings. He was the then President of CBF. ,
