Exclusive: Webb in line to take up CONCACAF Presidency

By Andrew Warshaw

January 9 – Jeff Webb (pictured right with Sepp Blatter), the man leading the effort to put Caribbean football back on its feet after months of scandal, is also being lined up as the next President of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) to replace controversial former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

insideworldfootball understands that Webb, President of the Cayman Islands Football Association, is the man the majority of CONCACAF members want to step into Warner’s shoes when elections are held in late spring.

The move would satisfy those who believe the Confederation, which has just replaced one American with another as general secretary – Ted Howard for Chuck Blazer – is too top-heavy with North American powerbrokers.

Appointing Webb would the restore balance of power at senior executive level though claims that he safeguards some of CONCACAF’s offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands are understood to be wide of the mark.

As well as running Cayman Islands football, Webb is also chairman of the nine-man Normalisation cCommittee charged with restoring the Caribbean’s reputation and a member of one of the four task forces created to reform FIFA.

Contacted by insideworldfootball, Webb said he would certainly be interested in the job of bringing some transparency back to CONCACAF which has been riven with divisions.

“Right now we are trying to stabilise Caribbean football because we’ve lost sight of our core focus which is football,” said Webb.

“We’ll have new statutes in March ahead of full elections in May.

“But CONCACAF needs an overhaul as well and I do think I would have a contribution to make.”

Asked to elaborate, he said CONCACAF – which covers north and central America and the Caribbean – needed to distribute its funding more equitably.

“Just like the CFU it needs restructuring,” Webb explained.

“I would like to see it assisting its members and sharing some of its revenues.

“I’d like to see more of that money helping some of the grassroots programmes in smaller countries, both in the Caribbean and central America.”

When Warner resigned from FIFA over the cash-for-votes scandal, Webb said he was “deeply saddened” but said it was now time to stop all the bickering.

“I’d just like to see it resolved so we can all move on,” he said.

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