By Andrew Warshaw
June 18 – Within weeks of being temporarily suspended as general-secretary of the Asian Football Confederation over claims he was involved in a cover-up during an investigation into corruption allegations dating back to the era of Mohammed bin Hammam, Dato Alex Soosay has quit with immediate effect rather than stay and fight to clear his name.
In a mirror image of the crisis afflicting FIFA, the resignation of Asia’s number two official has plunged the confederation into fresh uncertainty just when it was attempting to enter a new period of transparency and credibility following the dark days of its corruption-tainted past.
In April, Malaysian media reported that Soosay had asked for any incriminatory evidence against him during an external 2012 probe carried out by PricewaterhouseCooper into the conduct of bin Hammam be removed. The audit was prompted by claims of malpractise by bin Hammam which ultimately led to the then AFC chief being banned for life by FIFA for financial mismanagement and breaches if its ethics code.
Soosay was seemingly unmoved by the recent claims and duly took his place a few days later at the AFC Congress in Bahrain where Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa was re-elected AFC president, pledging to unite Asian football and put an end to the turmoil of the past.
In an interview with Insideworldfootball at the time, Soosay said the claims against him would not affect his position and that he had “the full support of my colleagues.”
“I don’t see there is any issue because the case has already been dealt with. We know who leaked the information but there’s nothing to worry about,” he said.
Instead he was suspended pending an internal AFC investigation into the media claims in his native Malaysia and has now been consigned to history, the latest victim of internal shenanigans that have once again brutally exposed the lack of transparency within his confederation despite efforts to suggest the contrary.
Soosay’s resignation seems bound to fuel further calls for the PriceWaterhouseCooper audit to be made public, something the AFC has long resisted for fear of what other revelations might come to light. In the tersest of statements the AFC thanked Soosay “for his commitment to Asian football during his extensive 20-year-long career at the AFC and wishes him all the best for his future career.”
Soosay held the position of AFC general secretary since 2008 but now joins a long line of casualties since Sheikh Salman came to power including former Bin Hammam allies Manilal Fernando of Sri Lanka, banned for life by FIFA for bribery, and Thailand’s Worawi Makudi. Soosay’s deputy Windsor John will take over the role until a new general secretary is appointed.
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