By Paul Nicholson
August 2 – FIFA has provisionally suspended investigations into former FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer until the end of 2013 at the latest. The decision, taken by chief of investigation Robert Torres, was made after Torres received written confirmation that Blazer will not be engaging in any football-related activities until at least 31 December 2013.
A FIFA press statement said that the decision was made after “taking into consideration circumstances which made it advisable to provisionally suspend the investigations.” There was no detail given of what the “special circumstances” are.
Blazer was initially banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level last May 2013. The 90-day ban was imposed by the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, Hans-Joachim Eckert.
This decision was taken following a request made by the acting deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Robert Torres. His request followed information that there had been various breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics by Chuck Blazer but that a decision on the main issue could not be taken early enough.
The Ethics Committee had a month earlier opened investigation proceedings against Blazer following referral of the final report of the CONCACAF Integrity Committee into the conduct of the former president of CONCACAF Jack Warner and Blazer.
The report disclosed that Blazer had received more than $20 million in compensation from CONCACAF, including $17 million in commissions which were paid, mostly, via an offshore marketing company. Blazer had worked without a contract from July 18, 1998, and his compensation was discussed only three times at CONCACAF meetings during 21 years.
The report found “no business reason” for the renting of apartments used by Blazer in Manhattan and said the American had also tried to buy property in the Bahamas, in 2007, for about $4 million using football funds.
Blazer was described in report “entirely negligent” for failing to file income tax returns for CONCACAF in the United States which led to the body losing its tax-exempt status as a non-profit organization.
The chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Michael Garcia, had excused himself from the investigation into Blazer on the grounds that he holds the same nationality as Blazer.
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