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Pressure mounting on Warner and Blazer after report details alleged rampant corruption

BlazerWarner (Getty)

By IVES GALARCEP

When Chuck Blazer turned whistleblower on former friend and confidant Jack Warner back in 2011, accusing him and other officials in the CONCACAF region of corruption, you just knew it would eventually lead to the airing of some serious dirty laundry and potentially the downfall of both Blazer and Warner.

The fall hasn’t happened yet, but recent events aren’t looking good for the former CONCACAF bosses.

A recent report by the CONCACAF Integrity Commitee outlined some scandalous claims of embezzlement and fraud, with both Blazer and Warner accused of effectively stealing millions from the coffers of CONCACAF during their time in charge of the region’s soccer confederation.

Among the many scathing charges found in the report are accusations that Warner and Blazer embezzled millions of dollars, and in Blazer’s case, failed to file federal tax returns in the U.S. pertaining to CONCACAF entities he oversaw.

The report raised eyebrows worldwide and could spark investigations by the FBI and IRS against both, while Warner is quickly losing his grip on the considerable power he had built up in Trinidad & Tobago. He recently resigned as national security minister.

What’s next for Blazer and Warner? With federal investigations looming, both men could be facing some serious charges, and potentially criminal proceedings down the road.

What do you make of this mess? Think there’s any way Warner and/or Blazer are innocent? See the current CONCACAF leadership being any less corrupt?

Share your thoughts below.

 

Comments

  1. Until Blatter and all of the other parasites inside of FIFA have “retired”, nothing of substance will be done. I’m not sold on the future either if Platini is next in line. FIFA needs an infusion of new representatives on all committees.

    I’m a wait-and-see right now. Gulati may be a decent guy, but he played the “company man” role and voted to keep Blatter in power & backed both Warner and Blazer through the years. It’s hard to know what Gulati should’ve known, but all the rumors over the years didn’t come from sour grapes. I’m just not sure how much of his integrity he sacrificed to keep in both FIFA and CONCACAF’s good graces–and just a fraction of an ounce is too much.

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  2. “Pressure mounting”…??? I wish that were the case. Everyone knows that FIFA and CONCACAF are corrupt but nothing ever sems to changes. I really hope the IRS gets involved.

    Gulati was just elected to the FIFA executive committee but he’s too meek to be a change agent.

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    • Your comment reminds me of an old saying about huge ships, that they do not stop or turn on a dime.

      Gulati is a smart man and hopefully will be a good advocate for gradual change. Blatter and the guy before him (can’t remember if he was Havoalange or if that was the olympics) have been getting fat on FIFA funds for a long time. The reason the corruption is so rampant is that everyone has to be in it to get away with it. Warner could not have done as much as he did unless Blazer was in on it too. I think that this is the tip of the iceberg for FIFA. The only question is are enough people involved in the escamotage in the other federations for it to continue to be covered up.

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  3. If they ever make a movie called “Scumbag (Soccer) Millionaire,” these two would inevitably play major starring roles in it. When Warner and Blazer get dragged into court, the feds won’t even need to open the door for them; they can just ooze underneath it!

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  4. If they are correct that Blazer didn’t claim the income on his tax return I think he gets jail time. The fraud may not get prosecuted because FIFA does not want a prosecutor digging through their books but the IRS will audit and will prosecute in a situation like this.

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  5. Look at these buffoons. It’s the freaking grinch who stole christmas all over again……. man had the stones to actually disguise himself like Santa Claus, snuck in the chimney, obviously had way more than his share of milk and cookies, then made off with all the jewelry, the big screen TV and the Hummer in the garage. Those in charge of CONCACAF won’t do squat…. all they are thinking is, hold on, it’s my turn! Going to need someone from up at the top of FIFA to… ummm, do… so… me.. thin… abou….

    Never mind.

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  6. Here’s the money quote on Blazer from the article:
    “Blazer also misappropriated CONCACAF assets to finance his personal lifestyle, including among other things using CONCACAF funds to: subsidize rent on his residence in the Trump Tower in New York; purchase apartments at the Mondrian, a luxury hotel and residence in Miami; make a down payment on apartments at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas; purchase a Hummer for his personal use; and obtain insurance coverage for his personal apartments as well as automobile and employee health insurance for himself and his girlfriend.”

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  7. All power is all corrupting. Based on everything that’s coming public, both of these guys should go to jail. Let’s hope Gulati isn’t next and is a stand up guy.

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  8. If they embezzled CONCACAF money, CONCACAF should sue them…before any statute of limitations expires. And, constituent members like the USSF should be preparing any actions needed to make that happen.

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  9. I’ll take a wait-and-see approach. These folks always seem to wiggle free

    and who here believes only CONCACAF is so screwed up? They all are, this poop rolls down hill

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  10. Despite some ridiculous cynicism expressed by some on the Gulati thread a couple days ago, he is ideally positioned as one of the guys to lead a clean up of CONCACAF. We need to hope for similar change at FIFA headquarets too

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    • Tony,…so you think that in all the years he was involved with USSF and CONCACAF,…he had no idea that this amount of blatant corruption existed? Jack Warner was widely known to be a crook. Why didn’t Gulati speak up?

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