FIFA Executive Jack Warner Surrenders to Authorities in T&T

Sepp Blatter

We are not sure how Belize voted at the re -election of Sepp Blatter in Zurich, Switzerland but we can say that Blatter garnered the vote of the small countries to remain president of FIFA securing a fifth consecutive term in office. His challenger, Prince Ali bin al Hussein from Jordan, withdrew just before a scheduled second round. The F.F.B. President, Ruperto Vicente, and two other F.F.B. reps were in Switzerland for the elections, but they have remained silent about the scandal that is rocking the organization. Just two days ago about a dozen FIFA officials were arrested by Swiss officers on federal corruption charges and will be extradited to the United States. The FIFA officials are suspected of being involved in corrupt schemes worth one hundred and fifty million dollars.  One such activity is awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. A number of persons in this side of the hemisphere are being named including former FIFA vice-president, Jack Warner from Trinidad and Tobago. He surrendered to authorities on Wednesday and spent the night in a Trinidad jail which he left today by ambulance. He faces eight counts of conspiracy to defraud and to engage in racketeering. U.S. justice officials allege that Warner received ten million dollars in 2008 to secure his vote in favour of South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. Back in Zurich, Seep Blatter spoke after his re-election today.

Sepp Blatter, re-elected as President, FIFA

“Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you that you have accepted me that for the next four years I will be in command of this boat that we call FIFA and we will bring it back off shore and we will bring it back to the beach. We will bring it back where finally football can be played; beach soccer we can play everywhere. But we have to work on that. We have to work on that; we have also work on other things that we have to work on FIFA in the future. You would remember four years ago, I had a lot of problems to solve and I gave it to you and I challenged you that time. I will not challenge you, but we also have to make some organizational problems inside the FIFA, inside the executive committee, because we must have a better representation of the different confederation and the number of members of a confederation shall have also the repercussion in the organization of the committee. And again, we need in this committee women, we need ladies; we cannot just say….we need to do more.”