Manchester City star Samir Nasri has hailed the US Justice Department’s involvement in the Fifa corruption scandal, saying that Europe ‘didn’t do anything’ to stop it.
Sepp Blatter was re-elected Fifa president last Friday to cap a week that had seen no fewer than 14 officials arrested from football’s governing body following a £65 million corruption probe led by the US Justice Department into alleged bribes paid over 25 years.
The scandal erupted again on Tuesday with reports that Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke had been involved in an alleged $10million (£6.5m) bribery payment, after a letter emerged instructing the same transaction was addressed to him.
The fallout from last week’s revelations has seen Fifa come under fire from the FA, the British government and football’s European governing body Uefa, and now one of the stars of the Premier League has spoken out.
Currently enjoying an end-of-season break in Los Angeles, Manchester City star Samir Nasri was quizzed on the ongoing story by American broadcaster TMZ Sports.
Asked whether allegations of corruption came as a surprise to him, Nasri raised a smile.
“Seriously? Everyone knew about it,” he said. “Everyone knew Fifa was a little bit corrupt.”
“At the end of the day, it is a good thing what the American's did."
The former Arsenal midfielder went on to praise the role of the US Justice Department the probe, after admitting that European organisations ‘didn’t do anything’ to stop it.
“We needed the United States to be involved, because in Europe they didn't do anything and it's been a long time we've been talking about it.”