Michel D'Hooghe is a Belgian member of the FIFA Executive Committee

FIFA Executive Committee

FIFA Executive Committee is an institution of FIFA . It is the main decision-making body of the organization in the intervals of Congress...

.

In August 2011 he admitted that Viacheslav Koloskov, an adviser for Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

's successful bid for the 2018 World Cup, visited him in his hometown of Bruges

Bruges

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....

 and gave him a valuable painting while lobbying

Lobbying

Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...

 for his vote. He has since described the painting as a "poisonous gift" and has notified Fifa

FIFA

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...

officially about it, since its acceptance is in contravention to the Fifa rules that govern lobbying.