By DAN KARELL
The identity of a high ranking FIFA official who allegedly signed off and approved millions of dollars in transfers to then-CONCACAF president Jack Warner has reportedly been revealed.
The New York Times reported on Monday evening that multiple law enforcement officers believe FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, the No. 2 to newly re-elected Sepp Blatter, was the person who transferred $10 million in 2008 from FIFA to CONCACAF, on behalf of the South African bid team as part of a bribe with Warner back in 2004, in exchange for Blatter voting for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup.
The federal indictment against FIFA officials that stunned the world last week states that the high ranking official, thought to be Valcke, did not have knowledge that the money was used as a bribe. The money was sent to CONCACAF in a series of payments, but Warner, who controlled CONCACAF’s accounts, used most of the money he received for his personal use.
Valcke has not been charged with a crime and was not named as a co-conspirator in the indictment. In a statement to the New York Times, Valcke claimed the opposite of the Times’ report, saying he didn’t authorize a transfer of money and didn’t have the authority to do so.
Valcke cancelled a scheduled trip to attend the opening of the FIFA Women’s World Cup this Saturday in Canada, instead preferring to remain in Zurich to attend personal matters.
Here is some more FIFA news to catch up on from around the globe:
CONCACAF BANS FORMER SECRETARY GENERAL SANZ
Following in FIFA’s footsteps, CONCACAF has provisionally banned former secretary general Enrique Sanz from participating in any CONCACAF-related activities.
In a press release, CONCACAF announced the ban, four days after he was placed on administrative leave on the heels of being named as a co-conspirator in a federal indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice. Deputy general secretary Ted Howard was promoted to acting general secretary in Sanz’s absence.
Earlier in the day, FIFA announced through Hans-Joachim Eckert, the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee, that Sanz had been suspended worldwide from all soccer activities.
FORMER CONMEBOL PRESIDENT LEOZ PLACED UNDER HOUSE ARREST
Paraguayan native Nicolas Leoz will be confined to his home once he’s released from the hospital on Monday.
According to multiple reports from Paraguay, a federal judge met with Leoz in an Asuncion hospital, where he was being treated for high blood pressure, to read him his rights. The Paraguayan foreign ministry had recently been contacted by the U.S. Embassy in Paraguay asking for Leoz’s arrest and for him to be extradited.
Due to Leoz’s age, at 86-years old, the judge decided on house arrest while the lengthy extradition process begins.
Leoz was one of 14 people indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice last week on counts of fraud, embezzlement and racketeering, among others.
WARNER ACCUSES U.S. OF DOUBLE STANDARDS WHILE CITING AN ONION ARTICLE
There are some things that you just can’t make up.
In a video posted to the social media accounts of Jack Warner, the former FIFA vice president and CONCACAF president denied any claims of wrongdoing and accused the United States of having a double standard, though his accusations were by citing an article from the satirical newspaper, The Onion.
Warner’s video was edited after it went up as his social media staff surely discovered that The Onion was not what they thought, with all references to the article scratched out of the video.
The article Warner cited satirically shows FIFA trying to win the U.S. back over by hastily giving the U.S. a World Cup in 2015, to begin “this afternoon.”
Warner was indicted by federal prosecutors last Wednesday after an indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn, revealing that Warner’s sons Daryan and Daryll had secretly pleaded guilty in the case likely in exchange for key pieces of information leading to their father’s indictment, among others.
FIFA BANS CONGOLESE PAIR
Two Congolese FA officials have been banned due to breaches to the FIFA Code of Ethics.
According to multiple reports, FECAFOOT vice president Jean Guy Blaise Mayolas and general secretary Badji Mombo Wantete were both suspended from soccer activities at the international and national level for 90 days “pending further investigation,” with the possibility of the suspensions being extended another 45 days.
“The decision was taken at the request of the chairman of the investigatory chamber, Dr Cornel Borbély, based on the fact that various breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics appear to have been committed by said officials,” a FIFA statement read.
What do you think of these reports? Do you see Valcke eventually being indicted? What do you think of Sanz’s suspension? Do you see Leoz ever being extradited to the U.S.?
Share your thoughts below.
So, I lost my thread… probably because it was a non sequitir in a random article… but I am interested in hearing what people think of the following info some folks at the Brazilian Soccer Federation told me:
Apparently they have been contacted by UEFA, on behalf of itself and the US, (Read CONCACAF) to exit FIFA. This is apparently not a new discussion and has been ongoing since there was discussion of moving the 2022 cup, but with the reading of the indictment, the push has gotten a lot further. The supposed plan is: UEFA, US, Brazil, Argentina form … IFF lets call it… and invite the rest of the world to join… basically, Argentina, and Brazil joining force COMNEBOL to join…, US forced Mexico… and therefore CONCACAF, and that forces everyone else.
So I was a little suprised, and remain suspicious… but the more I think about it the more it makes sense… anyway… thoughts?
Ives, have you heard anything?
Pity the Feds didn’t show the same measure of zeal with the perpetrators of the financial crisis.
I’ll say this again. I’m very proud of our American justice department. And kudos to whoever is behind this thorough and well scripted investigation. I’m hoping this leads to Blatter eventually. They are applying pressure turning screws and hopefully getting people to talk. I wonder what those execs are willing to divulge once they get a look inside some of our federal Pens.
So, they found a scapegoat. Same happened to Michel Zen-Ruffinen ten years ago or so.
haha. Now we know why Valcke suddenly decided not to attend the opening ceremony of the Woman’s World Cup.
LOL….. but the swiss cheese authorities could still bag him…
Hmm I am no expert on this, but the fact that instead of charging and arresting him (like they did the first time), they simply leaked the information to the media, tells me that the authorities have nothing concrete on him. So basically Valcke will escape unscathed and nothing will happen. Business as usual will continue.
Too bad. We need arrests and charges on these guys, not just mud-slinging.
Wouldn’t they just investigate Valcke and the money much more closely? Now that the feds are focusing on FIFA, they would be naive to let a $10M money trail possibly leading to him go. However, they have to determine whether Valcke, Blatter, or any of the higher ups were aware that the money was for Warner’s personal use or if they thought that money was for CONCACAF. Either way, this makes them look corrupt if they did know or horribly incompetent if they actually trusted Warner.
No.
The Feds are like a boa constrictor. Once they get ahold of you…they just sorta…squeeze. And they aren’t even in that big a hurry about it. Ask Lance Armstrong.
They don’t want Valcke. They want Blatter. They’re just telling the world where they’re going.
This is going to get very, very interesting.
Says something when FIFA’s number 1 and number 2 are not making appearances in the Women’s World Cup in Canada. Can you say extradition. When was the last time no senior FIFA officials has made an appearance at senior level World Cup?