Warner Refuses to Stand for FIFA Questioning

Jack Warner, the CONCACAF president and FIFA vice-president suspended alongside former presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam last month, is refusing to meet with the organisations investigators tasked with probing bribery allegations.

Warner, along with Bin Hammam, was alleged to have paid bribes totalling US$1m to Caribbean associations and stated: “I have not received any summons asking me to speak with them [the investigators] nor do I plan to.”

A total of 25 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) associations are alleged to have been paid or offered bribes of $40,000 (£25,000) each – and up to 18 of these have refused FIFA’s call to go to Miami to provide evidence.

Warner will not be among those questioned after FIFA agreed to move the venue for the interviews with those CFU members who refused to travel to Miami.

However, a CFU source said that its associations were prepared to co-operate with any “independent and unbiased” investigation.

The president of the Barbados Football Association, Ronald Jones, has insisted that neither he nor his officials were offered any bribes by Bin Hamman or Warner.

“None of our delegates were offered any inducements or gifts to support any of the candidates during the meeting on 10 May,” said Jones in a statement.

“The Barbados Football Association was made aware that the trip and accommodation were sponsored by Mohamed Bin Hamman under the auspices of the CFU.

“The BFA did not and does not see this as akin to bribery or any inducements as in the past trips by Caribbean delegates to meetings have been sponsored by the organisation and agency that wanted to put on the programme.”