Former FIFA VP and current CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb appeared before a judge Saturday, "entering a not guilty plea in a massive racketeering and bribery case" that rocked int'l football, according to the AP. He will "not be the last charged in the far-reaching corruption case to see the inside of a U.S. courtroom if prosecutors have their way" -- six more FIFA officials are charged and fighting extradition. Webb posted a $10M bond at his arraignment in federal court. He surrendered three passports -- two from the U.K. and one from the Cayman Islands -- and "will be required to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of his release" (AP, 7/18). The BBC reported appearing in court wearing a "dark blue business suit, a crisp white shirt and a silk tie," Webb smiled at his wife, Kendra, as he walked in, accompanied by U.S. marshals. A "giant of a man" often referred to as "Mr President" in the Cayman Islands, he "projected a confident air as he stood before the judge," flanked by his defense team and the U.S. prosecutors who have mounted the case against him, and secured his extradition from Switzerland (BBC, 7/19).
LOOKING AHEAD: REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported FIFA's future "will begin to take shape on Monday when its executive committee meets to choose a date for the presidential election" and discuss proposed reforms to football's "discredited governing body." If they decide on a December election, it "could spark a desperate scramble as presidential hopefuls would be left with less than one month to declare their candidacy" and gather the written support of at least five federations. Candidates "must declare their intention to stand, and present support, four months before the election" (REUTERS, 7/17). The AP reported FIFA President Sepp Blatter hosted UEFA President Michel Platini and football's other continental presidents on Sunday, "in their first formal meeting" since Blatter announced that he would leave office "amid a corruption crisis." The "closed-door meeting at FIFA headquarters helps prepare for an executive committee session on Monday" (AP, 7/19). Homewood reported in a separate piece the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) said on Saturday that President Marco Polo del Nero will "miss Monday's key FIFA executive committee meeting because he needs to tackle domestic issues." Del Nero also missed the FIFA Congress in May in Zurich, "having left Switzerland shortly after his predecessor Jose Maria Marin was among seven people arrested at their hotel" after being indicted on corruption charges in the U.S. Del Nero said that he needed to stay in Brazil to "deal with proposed legislation" affecting the country's football clubs, which he said had "unconstitutional elements." He also said that he "needed to stay in Brazil because a Congressional inquiry had begun in the Senate to investigate the CBF" (REUTERS, 7/18).
