Warner sets off on road to revenge against FIFA as he insists he will never be silenced

By Andrew Warshaw

October 17 – Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has promised to unleash fresh details of vindictiveness and corruption within the hierarchy of football’s world governing body.

In his latest revenge attempt to expose those who accused him of bribery and restore his credibility, Warner has written to a local newspaper in his native Trinidad threatening to reveal a second footballing tsunami.

Warner resigned in May from all footballing activities over the cash-for-votes scandal but has still taken it upon himself to write to the Trinidad Guardian with a series of barbs about his former employers at FIFA.

His comments, which are apparently to be published in full within 24 hours, came just three days after the Caribbean region was plunged into disgrace with a spate of suspensions and reprimands over the scandal that led both to Warner’s resignation and the life ban imposed on Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Evidence that led to the sanctions announced by FIFA’s Ethics Committee on Friday included a video recording in which Warner told colleagues it was acceptable to receive payments from Bin Hammam.

In excerpts taken from his letter, the paper quotes Warner as saying that his revelations, including against FIFA President Sepp Blatter, would “turn stomachs”.

He alleges that the deputy chairman of FIFA’s Ethics Committee, Namibian judge Petrus Damaseb, was himself guilty of receiving a “gift” from Bin Hammam.

“I will talk about the bitter elections for the FIFA Presidency in 1998 when Sepp Blatter faced his most telling rival in Lennart Johansson and the detailed reason for the support, which was offered to him by both Mohammed Bin Hammam and me,” Warner wrote.

“We took him on a worldwide crusade begging for support for him, and he won.”

“That was the first time I met the present Deputy Chairman of FIFA Ethics Committee, Petrus Damaseb, at the time the Pesident of the Namibia FA.

“I will tell the world what gift Bin Hammam gave to him then, which was not a bribe then as he has ruled today.”

Warner promised to disclose racism within FIFA, religious discrimination and vindictiveness against him – and insisted he will never be silenced.

“FIFA has tried to muzzle me with threats of a worldwide suspension,” he wrote.

“They have said that they will close down the FIFA Development Office in Trinidad by year end.

“They have refused to give me any of my 29-year pension.

“They continue to do such things like revealing a video in the hope that they can embarrass me to lie down on my belly.

“Never, I repeat, never, regardless of the consequences.”

Warner said the real “gifts” were given by Blatter to secure two election victories but did not say what they were exactly or who the beneficiaries were.

He merely took exception to the fact that of the eight FIFA Presidents so far, only one was not a European, Dr João Havelange of Brazil.

“Three were English, one was Belgium, the incumbent is Swiss and two were French,” Warner continued.

“Is it that people of colour cannot administer football?

“Or is it that only Europeans possess the skill to do so?

“Is this why [Michel] Platini is being groomed as heir apparent?”

Warner implied that the entire recent debacle was a conspiracy designed to make sure Blatter secured a fourth straight election victory.

Just before Bin Hammam pulled out of the Presidential race, claimed Warner, the Qatari had almost enough votes to topple Blatter who ended up securing a fourth term on June 1 without any opposition candidate.

“For the last FIFA election, the last count before the election showed that Blatter had 90 votes and Bin Hammam had 85,” wrote Warner.

“Whoever got 105 votes would have won.

“CONCACAF has 35 votes of whose membership the Caribbean has 25.”

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