The FIFA corruption saga "took another twist" on Tuesday as former FIFA VP Jack Warner "received a life ban from all football-related activities over corruption charges stemming from the enquiry into the controversial 2018 and 2022 World Cup host selection process," according to Oliver Kay of the LONDON TIMES. FIFA’s ethics committee concluded that the Trinidadian was "a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance and receipt of undisclosed an illegal payments, as well as other money-making schemes." The sanction "has little practical impact on Warner" since the 72-year-old, who is fighting extradition to the U.S. over corruption charges, resigned from his various FIFA posts in June '11. One impact of Warner’s lifetime ban "is to raise fresh concerns about the integrity" of FIFA's governance processes, given that the ethics committee dropped a previous investigation against Warner in '11, stating that "a presumption of innocence" was maintained (LONDON TIMES, 9/29). In London, Ben Rumsby wrote the ethics committee previously chose not to pursue a case against Warner "because he was no longer involved in football." But a change of policy "saw it go after Trinidad and Tobago’s former minister of national security, even though any ban would be merely symbolic for a man who had little prospect of returning." Warner has been beset by allegations of corruption and in '13 was found guilty by an "integrity committee" of defrauding CONCACAF and FIFA (TELEGRAPH, 9/29). The AP's Rob Harris reported the decision "shows that judge Hans-Joachim Eckert will pursue officials long after they have left their jobs." Warner's lifetime FIFA ban "stems from Eckert's report on the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups." Warner said, "I do not believe however that this will serve as the distraction to the FIFA's present problems as the FIFA wishes it to be. Given what is happening in Zurich with Sepp Blatter I guess that there is no such thing as a coincidence." The FIFA statement said, "Mr. Warner was found to have committed many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-ranking and influential positions at FIFA and CONCACAF" (AP, 9/29). REUTERS' Brian Homewood wrote Warner "was found guilty of violating ethics code articles on general rules of conduct, loyalty, duty of disclosure, conflicts of interest, the offering and acceptance of gifts and of failing to collaborate with the ethics committee." Warner resigned and was "placed under investigation" over a cash-for-votes scandal. The same scandal also led to a life ban for Qatari Mohamed Bin Hammam, "who has planned to stand against Blatter" (REUTERS, 9/29). BLOOMBERG's Panja & Miller wrote while Warner has not directly implicated anyone, he is "at the center of a case that Swiss prosecutors have brought against Blatter." Swiss prosecutors said last week that a TV contract Blatter agreed to with Warner’s Caribbean Football Union "was signed for below its true value" (BLOOMBERG, 9/29).
SFA DEMANDS ANSWERS: In a separate article, Rumsby wrote the pressure on Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini to fully explain a £1.3M suspected criminal payment "has intensified after they again failed to justify a nine-year delay in the Frenchman receiving the money." The presidents of FIFA and UEFA both insisted that "there was nothing illegal or improper about the cash given to Platini." The FA, which publicly backed Platini’s bid to succeed the Swiss, "was last night understood to be seeking full disclosure" over the timing of what the UEFA president described as the "final outstanding amount" owed to him for a role which included helping Blatter stay in power. Scottish FA CEO Stewart Regan, another to have endorsed Platini’s candidacy, "was also demanding answers." He said, "Both the timing and the delay relating to the payment is not helpful for Michel Platini or football generally. He needs to be able to explain himself. I’m sure he will." Regan "would not be drawn on whether the SFA would withdraw its endorsement if it did not get the answers it was seeking" (TELEGRAPH, 9/29). In London, Charles Sale wrote Platini's attempt to clarify his involvement in the FIFA corruption scandal "only succeeded in dragging him further into the unholy mess." Platini wrote to all of UEFA's 54 member associations "in an effort to explain" the extraordinary £1.35M consultancy payment. But Platini "did not answer a key question about that payment which is threatening to derail his bid to succeed Blatter at next February's election if it remains unanswered." Why was it made in '11, just three months before Blatter was elected unopposed for a fourth term and nine years "after Platini had finished his full-time FIFA role for which he had already received 'initial payments'" (DAILY MAIL, 9/28). The AP's Rob Harris reported Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber said that Platini is "being treated as 'between a witness and an accused person' and the Swiss authorities would raid the UEFA president's office if necessary to discover the 'real truth.'" Lauber "wouldn't be drawn about what might follow for Platini, or the specifics of the case against Blatter for 'tactical reasons'" (AP, 9/29).
'TOTAL MELTDOWN': The PA reported Chung Mong-joon, the Korean who is running against Platini, said that FIFA is in "total meltdown" and needs to set up an emergency taskforce to run the organization until a successor to Blatter is elected. Chung said that "the announcement by the Swiss attorney general that criminal proceedings have been opened against Blatter," and that a £1.3M payment to Platini is also under the microscope, was "another sad day for FIFA." Chung said, "The 2018 World Cup qualifying matches continue to be held. Many football development programs continue to be implemented. However, FIFA that should be overseeing all this is in a total meltdown" (PA, 9/29). REUTERS' Sohee Kim wrote Chung insists FIFA is still the right organization to run the world's most popular sport, "but only if the current leadership is ousted." Chung said he supported the ongoing investigations taking place into alleged corruption in FIFA, but believed the running of the sport should not be given to "outsiders." Chung: "The most urgent task at hand is to root out corruption from within FIFA. Justice must be served. Resuscitating FIFA, however, should be left to those who love football. The future of football should not be left in the hands of outsiders" (REUTERS, 9/29).
EXTRADITION REQUEST: REUTERS' Miller & Franklin wrote Swiss authorities "approved a U.S. extradition request" for ex-Costa Rican Football Federation President Eduardo Li, the fourth official due to be sent to the U.S. in connection with the FIFA corruption scandal. Li, a Costa Rican citizen, "was one of seven officials from world football's governing body taken into custody in a dawn raid on a luxury Zurich hotel on May 27." The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in a statement on Tuesday that he now "has 30 days to appeal the decision" (REUTERS, 9/29). The AP reported Costa Rica authorities "also opened an investigation against Li, who is accused by the U.S. of asking for a six-figure payment from marketing agency Traffic USA as part of an agreement for rights for Costa Rica's home qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup." That deal was worth $2.55M-$3M, "depending on the team's success, the U.S. indictment alleges." A civil engineer and son of Chinese immigrants, Li "became involved in football in 2004 after buying the franchise of a first division club in Costa Rica" (AP, 9/29).
