CONCACAF Caribbean Officials to be Investigated by FIFA
You can run but you can’t hide.
It looks as if the truth may be found out in this whole FIFA and CONCACAF corruption scandal after all.
After CONCACAF president Lisle Austin tried to illegally fire whistle blower Chuck Blazer this past week, he has been suspended from his position by the FIFA Executive Committee (ExCo) and told to stand down from ALL FIFA activities. Austin was Warner’s right hand man. CONCACAF vice president Alfredo Hawit of Honduras is now the acting president.
Also, that same ExCo has now hired former director of the FBI Louis Freeh to lead the FIFA investigation.
Freeh, 61, served as an FBI special agent before becoming an attorney, and made his name as lead prosecutor in a notorious New York Mafia trial in the 1980s. He was director of the FBI for eight years between 1993 and 2001.
From the article: Warner has submitted a lengthy defence of his conduct, dismissing the allegations as a fabrication. His statement is accompanied by supporting statements from 13 Caribbean nations who say that the allegations are false. Those statements will also be closely scrutinised by Freeh.
This past week IMS reprinted an interview by Puerto Rican soccer journalist Esteban Pagán Rivera who talked to Puerto Rican Soccer Federation president Eric Labrador, who reported the $40 thousand he had received at a Caribbean Football Union meeting in May. IMS also presented this audio podcast with Rivera who explains how this scandal affects Puerto Rico and all the Caribbean Union Football countries.
So it looks like a very good thing that Labrador brought this to the table. I would guess those 13 CONCACAF Caribbean nations who did not, and some who are still denying it ever happened, are now in some big trouble with FIFA.
Also, from duNord football, FIFA has brought in Henry Kissinger to help re-mold the organization into something more trust-worthy.
If you have not been reading Bruce McGuire’s duNord futbol you really should be. Bruce always does an outstanding job of aggregating the best soccer articles from around the world each and every day. But this past two weeks Bruce has been at the top of his game, linking to articles from Europe, the US, and the Caribbean as he follows and gives us links to the best articles on the net so we can continue to keep up with this ongoing FIFA scandal and its investigation.
This scandal very much affects US S0ccer and and all CONCACAF countries including D1, D2 and D3 teams. Keep following duNord Futbol for all the latest news on the FIFA and CONCACAF scandal.
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Freeh is a good choice. This will remain unemotional and purely factual, and one thing I have learned, what appears to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth looks a lot different once the many layers of the onion skin are peeled off.
The level of acceptance of this type of behavior has gone on for so long, that a lot of folks consider this to be acceptable, in spite of the fact it is unacceptable under FIFA guidelines.
This will indeed affect D1, D2 and possibly D3 soccer in this country in a major way. I doubt anyone will be left completely untouched.
Well I hope it turns up something because Canada has been screwed repeatedly by CONCACAF officiating. Enough that, this isn’t an issue with different officiating experiences, but a larger issue with CONCACAF. I am not alone up here either. Talk to any Canadian soccer fan, and do not chalk it up to just “bitterness.”
I know this is about bribes in regards to more recent events, but if it goes deeper, I am sure that the issues are threaded together.
“Also, from duNord football, FIFA has brought in Henry Kissinger to help re-mold the organization into something more trust-worthy.”
This doesn’t follow. Henry Kissinger make something more trust-worthy?
Unless and until Canada soccer grows some cojones and decides to become a big boy Federation and not suck off of King Saputo’s teat, FIFA will not care that much about Canada soccer.
FIFA may say differently, but their actions will not.
What does the owner of a single team in one province have to do with an organization that has over a million participants? Is your hatred so strong for the NASL that you spew stupidity out of your mouth like verbal diarrhea?
Mr. Blodgett, I am indeed talking about the Canadian Federation, and it’s very very close and intimate relationship with the owner of a single team in one province. The influence of that one owner takes such an effect that it appears to be able to effectively manipulate that organization that has over a million participants.
I don’t know what this has to do with NASL, not all roads lead to Rome, and you, not I, brought up NASL.
Of course, a lot of Canadians would argue that the owner you reference lives in the only province that counts in Canada, so why should they not have majority say?
The things that I’ve heard from my friends at Canadian Soccer News would collaborate what Bart is saying but would also add the folks in Vancouver as well. They too have been very influential with the CSA.
BQ, I would agree. The main difference between Vancouver and Montreal is the Mr. Kerfoot is self made, and does not have the ego or pure vindictiveness that King Saputo shows.
Just look at the class between the two clubs.
Mr. Blodgett, I am still not talking about NASL.
“It looks as if the truth may be found out in this whole FIFA and CONCACAF corruption scandal after all”
Oh really… And the video evidence presented to the ethics committee that FIFA has hired a forensic expert to analyze might just prove even more bribes made before the presidential election. Do you really think Bin Hammam’s methods of influence started in the Caribbean?
Did anyone ever watch the detective show Columbo?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbo_(TV_series)
“Howcatchem”
I can understand why my “comment is awaiting your moderation” bq…
This would be a retraction on an earlier IMS story, correct?
No, it’s because it has a link and all comments with links go to moderation. I’m sure you can understand why with all the spam out there.
I’m not really sure what you are trying to say here. Know one said it all started with the Caribbean but it is what triggered this. However, as you know, I disagree with you about the World Cup bid. Yes, it may get looked into eventually but that’s a ways off. Right now they have said there is no evidence to review the WC bids. May they uncover something that will cause them to look into it? Certainly that’s possible, and more likely probable. But for now the Caribbean and the CFU are in focus and quite frankly, the effect it has on the Caribbean and therefore CONCACAF will effect the US and it’s teams directly.
So I’m not really sure what your argument is?
@Jay – Let me ask a question, and forgive me if you answered it somewhere before and I missed it. How come the Islanders get to participate in the CFU Championship if they do not play in the PRSL anymore?
SK — the podcast interview with Rivera gives extensive treatment to your question. That’s only one of many reasons that it is worth the time invested to listen what BQ and Jay Long have put together for that interview. Fascinating stuff.
Isn’t the immediate issue here for people in CONCACAF the CFU? (What does this have to do with Canada and refereeing in CONCACAF matches? Mentioning Saputo in reference to a story about Warner is, on its face, hyperbolic and does seem to be in line with an intentional effort to find excuses to constantly rail about the NASL. It’s not persuasive and — for me — the constant, bitter harping tends to blunt any valid criticism that might be leveled at the organization).
Right now, the football associations of the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands, and Puerto Rico have blown the whistle on CFU’s brown bag (envelope) payments while thirteen other (unnamed?) CFU/FIFA members have declared that this reporting is inaccurate and false. That’s 18 of the 25 FIFA members in the CFU, with seven presumably having to figure out where they stand. It would be nice to see (if it hasn’t happened already) those 13 CFU nations backing Warner outed and pressure brought to bear on those CFU members that have not yet made public their position.
It would also be nice to see a full catalogue of Warner’s transgressions. The Trinidadian football association has not exactly flourished despite his elevation to the highest levels of world football and the nation’s one major achievement — the 2006 World Cup — was sullied by his treatment of the Soca Warriors after they demanded he make good on his commitment to profit sharing with the team.
@Strikers Return: No worries.
(As briefly as possible, without taking the time to check specific dates and details, just trying to remember the key points off the top of my head…)
Prior to this year’s version of the CFU, the Islanders were given an exemption by the FPF (then led by president and Islanders founder, Sr. Joe Errralta); The first year, they were just awarded a berth by the FPF.
Serralta parlayed his charisma and connections into arranging that the Islanders be given an exmeption in the CFU. The normal requirment is that a club play in its domestic league and qualify that way. Even though Islanders played in the US second division, Sr. Serralta facilitated for the CFU to be flexible with the Islanders rather unique situation.
Then the PRSL was born. Islanders were still given an exemption by the FPF (much to the dismay of some other clubs in the FPF–more on that later). PRSL clubs could qualify for the Puerto Rican berths.
Sr. Serralta built up more clout and grew even greater in stature in the CFU. Based on his growing popularity and the Islanders success in CONCACAF Champions League, Puerto Rico was awarded with 3 berths into the CFU.
Last year (2010), the PRSL did not play due to a rocky financial landscape. The league went on haitus. In November, the Super Copa Direct TV was used to determine which clubs would qualify for Puerto Rico’s 3 CFU berths.
Eight teams participated. River Plate PR upset the Islanders and won the championship (this is where things get bitter–many say that the Islanders were short strength in the finals–others say that they weren’t missing very many pieces of the USSFD-2 championship team).
River, qualified as the Puerto Rican champion. Islanders qualified as runners-up. Sevilla Puerto Rico qualified as the thrird place team.
Now Sr. Serralta is no l;onger the FPF president. Eric Labrador is. Serralta’s realtionship has been severed with the Islanders’ organization. Labrador used to be the Islanders GM.
There have accusations by those allied with Serralta (you can read about them in some of our pieces here from last month). The FPF can award the Islanders a CFU berth if it choses to do so. Islanders have refused to play in the PRSL. There is a lot of bad blood between the parties involved.
Right now, there is some question as to whether the PRSL will be able to survive long enought to crown a champion this season. The FPF and CFU dynamics has had more plot twists recently.
As if all of that is not complicated enough–there are pending legal actions being taken by one of the previously affiliated FPF clubs that ended up being expelled, largely in part to the disatisfaction with the Islanders being awarded an automatic CFU berth.
If the aleinated club does not back off then it is possible that FIFA could decided to suspend Puerto Rico (the FIFA position on legal proceedings is very well known–just think about what almost took place in Canada with the Alberta organization and the CSA recently).
So there is more drama yet to play itself out.
(If I missed anything or botched any details after firing back from the top of my head–I am sure that someone will help correct me).
Great post Collegeparkaddick . As you well know, I love your site. I don’t get there often enough but you do great stuff my man.
Strikers Return. Agree with Collegeparkaddick, listen to the podcast. It will tell you a lot.
Thanks Jay. You be da man.
I think the real problem that very few have addressed is the inordinate amount of clout a few people from some very small Carribean associations have amassed in CONCACAF. Mr. Warner and Mr. Austin come from nations that are marginal at best (Trinidad and Tobago) or a non-factor in CONCACAF (Barbados), yet they managed to wield a tremendous amount of authority and have done so for a long time.
As General Secretary of the Executive Committee, Chuck Blazer has worked hard to remould CONCACAF into a legitimate confederation. Prior to 1990, CONCACAF was basically Mexico. While the US has come onto the scene since WC ’94, we have also seen the emergence of other nations. We have also seen the old Champions Cup, which had no real structure or validity as a continental championship, and replaced it with the Champions League. the Gold Cup was established as CONCACAF’s Nations Cup and has had moderate success. None of this would have happened without the efforts of Mr. Blazer.
Take some time to look into the bios of both Austin and Warner and you will see two individuals who have worked tirelessly to enrich themselved and accumulate influence without giving much back. Mr. Warner has his hands in almost every aspect of Trinidadian life (political, business and sports) and is more interested in controlling things and developing. Most of what Warner has done since ascending to the presidency of CONCACAF has benefitted his country or other Carribean nations. While Mr. Blazer is accused of looking out for the US, his track record is of an individual that has always done what is best for the confederation as a whole.
CONCACAF will be wise to distance itself from the likes of these two cronyists, Warner and Austin, and hold onto Blazer.
Ken,
Good comment. We did actually address your first point in the audio interview we did with Esteban Pagán Rivera.
See: http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2011/05/31/audio-interview-with-soccer-journalist-esteban-pagan-rivera-who-interviewed-prff-president-eric-labrador/
@Jay & BQ – I have been meaning to listen to the podcast, and I did just that this morning. One thing I am a little confused about though. In listening, I took away that Serralta was the one originally responsible for getting the Islanders their exemptions into the CFU tournaments despite not being a member of the PRSL. But now Esteban is saying Serralta, if able to ascend to the top of the CFU ladder, would try to keep the Islanders from participating anymore? And he thinks it would be meant simply as retribution to the FPF for Labrador being one of the main whistle blowers in the Jack Warner situation? Sorry if I’m not following this correctly.