Of the 14 men named as defendants in the FIFA scandal, "all but two of them are citizens of Latin American and Caribbean nations, a reflection of the investigation’s focus on corruption" among CONCACAF's member nations, according to Simon Romero of the N.Y. TIMES. From soccer "powerhouses like Brazil and Argentina to smaller countries like Nicaragua and Trinidad and Tobago, the case offers a rare glimpse into the sort of arrangements and deals that have long come under withering criticism but have rarely led to criminal convictions" in CONCACAF. Corruption scandals, "lavish spending on stadiums and dubious sponsorship agreements are enduring fixtures of soccer in the Americas, but relatively few officials have been imprisoned for it." To those who have "for years called for the sport to be cleaned up, the arrests marked a welcome departure from the impunity of the past" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/28). In Miami, Kaufman, Weaver & Charles in a front-page piece note CONCACAF's regional HQ in Miami yesterday morning was "raided" by FBI agents. Traffic Sports USA President and NASL BOD Chair Aaron Davidson was arrested late Tuesday, and in light of the investigation, the NASL BOD suspended him, "along with all business activities between the league and Traffic Sports." NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson "will serve" as acting Chair. Former NASL Ft. Lauderdale Strikers President Tom Mulroy, who worked with Traffic from '10-15, said that he "never witnessed any shady dealings, was saddened to see his former employer implicated but happy that international soccer corruption is being exposed." Mulroy: "This is something the sport needs badly, and only the U.S. government is strong enough to do something like this" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/28).
STILL THE BEAUTIFUL GAME? SI.com's Grant Wahl wrote the "most interesting name of those arrested for now" is CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. He was "supposed to be a symbol of a new, cleaned-up CONCACAF in the wake of the corruption that took place under two decades of rule" by former President Jack Warner and General Secretary Chuck Blazer. Wahl: "Clearly, if the charges are proven, CONCACAF hasn't cleaned itself up" (SI.com,5/27). The HERALD's Kaufman & Weaver note the draw for the '15-16 CONCACAF Champions League is "scheduled to be held Monday" in Miami, and the indicted officials "were among those expected to attend." There is "no word" on whether the event will be postponed (MIAMI HERALD, 5/28).
