CHUCK BLAZER, the man “who blew the whistle on FIFA corruption, is to step down as general secretary of the CONCACAF Confederation,” according to the PA. He will continue as a FIFA Exec Committee member but “will leave his CONCACAF post on 31 December.” Blazer alerted FIFA “to allegations of bribery at a meeting in Trinidad in May which led to a fellow FIFA member, MOHAMED BIN HAMMAM, being banned for life and JACK WARNER, the former president of CONCACAF, resigning from football activity.” Blazer admitted that the “turmoil in Caribbean football caused by his revelations had caused him to consider a change.” Blazer “spearheaded the move to bring FIFA's marketing and TV rights in-house and was instrumental in securing its $425M deal with Univision and ESPN for rights to show the 2010 and 2014 World Cups” (PA, 10/6). Blazer’s current term as a FIFA Exec Committee member “runs through mid-2013.” He said that he “would consider taking a club post,” but he would not comment “on the possibility that he could join one of the groups bidding” for MLS’ 20th team. Blazer said, "I want to do something entrepreneurial. It was the right time" (AP, 10/6).
