Original Whistleblower Chuck Blazer Banned, a Look at the Growing FIFA Exco Dishonour List – Keir Radnedge

The suspension of Chuck Blazer, FIFA’s original whistleblower, has lifted to nine the number of the world federation’s executive members disgraced to a greater or lesser degree over the past three years.

All nine were members of the exco under president Sepp Blatter in the run-up to the infamous 2018/2022 World Cup host vote. One – Issa Hayatou – is still an unchallenged member of the exco.

This nine is not to count veteran Brazilian Joao Havelange whose resignation last month from the role of honorary president for taking ISL bribes suggested he set the original corrupt trend which permeated the highest reaches of the governing body.

New Yorker Blazer has been suspended provisionally for 90 days from  all football activities in the fall-out from the damning report from former judge David Simmons into his and Jack Warner’s financial stewardship of regional confederation CONCACAF.

Although Blazer quit his role as CONCACAF general secretary last December he remains, technically, one of the confederation’s delegates on the FIFA executive committee until Congress on Mauritius on May 30 and 31. Fellow American Sunil Gulati will take his place.

FIFA Ethics chairman Hans-Joachim Eckert acted over Blazer on a request from acting deputy chairman Robert Torres. An investigation had already been launched over allegations of ‘serious alleged misconduct’ in the Simmons report.

Both Blazer and Warner have always denied any wrongdoing.

Hence the roll of FIFA exco dishonour now reads:

Amos ADAMU: Nigerian banned for three years in October 2010 after being caught out in the World Cup cash-for-votes scandal;

Mohamed BIN HAMMAM: Qatari the-president of the AFC banned for life over election bribery allegations then again in connection with claims of misuse of AFC funds;

Chuck BLAZER: American ex-CONCACAF general secretary and Bin Hammam conference ‘whistleblower’, just suspended for 90 days over allegations stemming from the Simmons Report into CONCACAF finances;

Issa HAYATOU: Cameroonian president of CAF reprimanded in December 2011 by the International Olympic Committee, of which he is a member, for receiving $100,000 from FIFA’s former marketing agency, ISL;

Nicolas LEOZ: Paraguayan 84-year-old who, last month, quit as president of CONMEBOL on health grounds just ahead of the ISL report implicating in the bribe-taking ISL scandal;

Vernon MANILAL FERNANDO: Sri Lankan businessman banned for eigth years last month for ethics code breaches believed to be linked with the Bin Hammam conference in Port of Spain;

Ricardo TEIXEIRA: Brazilian then-president of the CBF and 2014 World Cup local organising committee who ran into self-exile in Miami last year after a string of financial scandals, including, most notably the ISL bribes accusations;

Reyald TEMARII: Tahitian then-president of Oceania was suspended in October 2010 for one year after being caught out in the World Cup cash-for-votes scandal;

Jack WARNER: Trinidad president of CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union as well as a FIFA vice-president who walked away from the game rather than answer bribery-related allegations over the Bin Hammam election conference. Subsequently forced to quit as a government Minister over pressure of football financial scandal accusations.

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Keir Radnedge has been covering football worldwide for more than 40 years, writing 33 books, from tournament guides to comprehensive encyclopedias, aimed at all ages.

His journalism career included The Daily Mail for 20 years as well as The Guardian and other national newspapers and magazines in the UK and around the world. He is a former editor, and remains a lead columnist, with World Soccer, generally recognised as the premier English language magazine on global football.

In addition to his writing, Keir has been a regular analyst for BBC radio and television, Sky Sports, Sky News, Aljazeera and CNN.

Keir Radnedge’s Twitter: @KeirRadnedge

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