Exclusive: Jack Warner is talking "garbage" claims Chuck Blazer

By Andrew Warshaw

October 19 – Chuck Blazer, the FIFA official who blew the whistle on the biggest bribery scandal in the organisation’s history, has launched a strongly worded rebuttal of a full-scale attack on him by former colleague Jack Warner, describing it as “garbage” and “an amazing work of fiction”.

In a letter to the Trinidad Guardian this week, Warner, who resigned from all football activities after being charged with bribery, laid into Blazer as well as promising to provide “detailed accounts” of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) official he claims was guilty of conspiracy against his own colleagues, 16 of whom have been sanctioned by FIFA’s Ethics Committee for their roles in the cash-for-votes events of May 10 and 11.

Recorded tape of Warner apparently telling that CFU members that taking money from Mohamed Bin Hammam – banned for life by FIFA pending an ongoing appeal – was acceptable was used as part of the evidence seen by the ethics committee.

But in his letter Warner, former President of CONCACAF, declares that “ingratitude is worse than witchcraft” and says the CFU official in question secretly taped the meeting for Blazer – and was rewarded as a result.

He reserved particular venom for Blazer himself.

The two worked together for 15 years at both FIFA and CONCACAF but have now spectacularly fallen out.

Blazer announced last week he is stepping down as CONCACAF general secretary on December 31 but retaining his role on the FIFA Executive Committee.

“The role of Blazer in CONCACAF will be exposed,” writes Warner who does not say when he would make the revelations.

“His addiction to the stock market and how this impacted on the CONCACAF’s finances will all be revealed.

“You will also be told why for some seven years I refused to sign Blazer’s contract and even today as I write to you he has none.

“You will learn why Blazer became vice-president of CONCACAF ahead of Sunil Gulati, the present President of the USSF (United States Soccer Federation).

“His wheeling and dealing will stymie the international football community; it is no wonder he has signalled his intentions to leave his CONCACAF post.

“It is only when the tsunami hits that the global village will you understand why he has done all in his power to deny Lisle Austin of his right to the post of acting President at CONCACAF because he is quite aware of what a five-year audit into CONCACAF will reveal about him.”

Blazer, who is en-route to Zurich for a series of crucial FIFA meetings, which are due to begin tomorrow, says Warner is simply making things worse for himself.

“It is an amazing work of fiction,” Blazer told insideworldfootball.

“If Jack has demonstrated anything during this process, it is that he says whatever he wants and then subsequently the facts prove he was lying.

“The tape is a great example of that.

“I wish I could take credit for having anything to do with the tape, but I didn’t.

“At the time of the taping, I hadn’t even spoken with Jack.

“In time, the source of the tape will come out, but I had nothing to do with it.

“Regarding the other garbage from Warner’s mouth, since 1990 he had his personal accountant do the review of our books in New York.

“If there was anything wrong, he would have had it reported to him and it would have been addressed.

“To the contrary, each year we submitted an audited set of books to the Congress and biennial budgets which were accepted and approved by the membership with great happiness over our growth and development, together with the fiscal policies that provided for ample reserves and operating funds.”

Warner’s letter does not stop with Blazer, however.

Just as Sepp Blatter is about to unveil his eagerly awaited anti-corruption reforms, so Warner again goes on the offensive, with a series of allegations about vindictiveness, racism, Zionism and religious discrimination; and about how Blatter managed to get elected 1998 and 2002.

“In spite of being a senior FIFA official for 23 years and serving as the FIFA’s eighth president for a period of 13 within in years, Sepp Blatter now suddenly sees the need to reform the FIFA from his last term of office and in the sunset of his days,” writes Warner, who preferred to walk away from football rather than go the same way as Bin Hammam and face the courts.

“This is hypocritical to say the least for it is public knowledge that his four terms of office have been dogged with controversy and allegations of corruption to which he has never responded.

“Why now I ask?

“But of this I will have much more to say.”

Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1732693974labto1732693974ofdlr1732693974owedi1732693974sni@w1732693974ahsra1732693974w.wer1732693974dna1732693974