Blazer denies being investigated by the FBI

By David Gold

August 17 – CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer (pictured) has vigorously denied reports circulating that he is being investigated by the FBI.

British journalist Andrew Jennings, whose books include “FOUL! The Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote-Rigging and Ticket Scandals” reported that an investigation had been launched to look into suspicious payments made into Blazer’s bank account, including that $250,000 (£152,000/€173,479) was paid to him from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

It was claimed that a United States law enforcement official said that an investigation was taking place into the allegation.

A series of other accusations were also made against Blazer, including claims that two of his children had worked for him and that he received commissions from regional sports marketing companies.

Blazer told Sky News that he denied the accusations levelled at him, and lashed out at Jennings, calling him “an unreliable blogger”.

He also said that the payment from the CFU was mistakenly made on behalf of the organisation, when it should have come directly from former CONCACAF chief Jack Warner.

Warner resigned from all football activities in June, as a result of which FIFA dropped an investigation into his role in alleged bribery of voters ahead of their Presidential election.

“In the instance of the mentioned payment, Mr Warner owed me the payment of a loan for over five years in the amount remitted,” Blazer said.

“I was dismayed when he sent it with his accountant drawn on the CFU account, but was told by the accountant not to worry, it would be properly reflected to show it was his money.

“Since then, Jack has resigned but has not turned over the checking accounts of the CFU to its Executive Committee and secretariat.”

Blazer also said that if it was found that the money paid to him did not come from Warner that he would repay it to the CFU.

The American was at the centre of the storm which saw Warner quit his FIFA post when he revealed that his former boss had colluded with Mohamed Bin Hammam (both pictured), the Qatari challenger to President Sepp Blatter, ahead of the June 1 election, to bribe members of the CONCACAF region.

This prompted the inquiry into Warner, as well as an investigation into Bin Hammam which led to him being banned from all football activities.

Following Jennings’ allegation of an FBI investigation into Blazer, Warner reportedly said that “this is the tip of the iceberg.

“In the fullness of time much more will be revealed.

“The avalanche is yet to come.”

Warner made similar comments following the opening of the FIFA investigation at the end of May, when he promised a “tsunami” of revelations against world football’s governing body and Blatter.

In the event, some information was leaked to the Press, including an email from Jerome Valcke in which he claimed that Qatar bought the 2022 World Cup, which they were awarded the right to host last December.

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