$2 million bribe paid for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Senior FIFA official and his family were paid almost $2 million from a Qatari firm linked to the country's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup.

The story identifies the official as Jack Warner, FIFA's former vice president, saying Warner "appears to have been personally paid $1.2 million ... from a company controlled by a former Qatari football official shortly after the decision to award the country the tournament."

The story goes on to say:

It is understood that the FBI is now investigating Trinidad-based Mr Warner and his alleged links to the Qatari bid, and that the former Fifa official's eldest son, who lives in Miami, has been helping the inquiry as a co-operating witness.

The awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was one of the most controversial decisions in sporting history. The intense summer heat in the desert nation has raised the prospect of the tournament being moved to the winter for the first time.

The allegations are likely of interest to Nike and Adidas, which sponsor several federations as well as individual players competing in the World Cup. Adidas is an official World Cup sponsor. Spokespeople for both companies declined to comment on The Telegraph's report.

The newspaper also quotes an official from England's doomed 2018 World Cup bid encouraging FIFA, the world's soccer governing body, to investigate the newspaper's evidence against Warner.

Also, The Telegraph has a story examining the conditions of staging the World Cup in Qatar, from constructing facilities to competing in the games.

Organizers of the 2022 event distanced themselves from The Independent's allegations, The Associated Press reported.

Russian impact: Brian Sozzi, chief executive of Belus Capital Advisors, believes Nike could be hurt by the Russia/Crimea/Ukraine conflict. He writes at thestreet.com:

Nike (NKE) has 99 stores in Russia, 57 of them factory stores. In 2013, revenue from Russia rose a cool 28%. By the way, Nike also designed the jerseys for the Russian ice hockey team, and it is supposed to be a major player for World Cup 2018 held in Russia.

New shoes: Nike's Jordan Brand now has a running shoe, Matthew Kish of the Portland Business Journal reports.

Title XI film: A fledgling film director is trying to raise money for a Nike spec commercial called "Girl Power," currently in the final development stage, that highlights the role Title XI played in improving sports conditions for girls and young women.

Alibaba: Chinese e-tailer Alibaba is planning an initial public offering of stock in the United States, expected to be the biggest IPO since Facebook. While Alibaba is huge in the world's most populous country, competitors abound, including Nike, says this story in The Guardian.

Game ball: Official Adidas-designed World Cup ball Brazuca, meet Gorduchinha. Also known around Brazil as "little chubby," Gorduchinha was created and is being sold by a Brazilian company with the claim that the the moniker was the name many Brazilians wanted for the official ball, the London Evening Standard reports.

Hoeness' return: Both France winger Franck Ribery and ex-Germany captain Oliver Kahn believe disgraced ex-club president Uli Hoeness will return to work at Bayern Munich after serving a prison sentence for fraud, according to www.football.co.uk.a