By Duncan Mackay
June 4 – Confusion over who is leading CONCACAF continued today when it was revealed that the Confederation’s acting President Lisle Austin (pictured) has been suspended for allegedly breaking the rules.
The Barbadian had been acting as President of the North, Central American and Caribbean governing body in the absence of Jack Warner, who was provisionally suspended by FIFA’s Ethics Committee last Sunday (May 29) for his alleged role in trying to bribe members of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).
It followed a dossier compiled by Warner’s fellow Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer, the secretary general of CONCACAF.
According to a statement on the Confederation’s website, Austin has now been suspended, with Honduran official Alfredo Hawit appointed in his place.
The statement read: ”Lisle Austin has been provisionally banned from all football activities within CONCACAF and at the national level by a majority of the CONCACAF Executive Committee members for apparent infringement of the CONCACAF Statutes.
”This suspension took effect on Thursday, June 2, 2011.
“Notice of this suspension is being sent to FIFA to be extended worldwide.
”As the senior most Vice President of CONCACAF, Alfredo Hawit, assumes the role of acting President under the CONCACAF Statutes.”
It followed Austin’s attempts to sack Blazer as secretary general.
Blazer was relieved of his duties in the early hours of Wednesday morning by Austin, a close ally of Warner’s.
Shortly afterwards CONCACAF’s head office in New York claimed that Blazer’s dismissal was unconstitutional and taken without any authority and that Austin did not have permission to take such action.
Since then Austin has continued to insist that he did have the authority to sack Blazer, who in turn has claimed that he did not and he was carrying on in his position as normal.
Austin will face a hearing on July 13 and has until June 13 to appeal the provisional ban.
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