Jack Warner banned for life by FIFA

Warner, a long-time ally of President Sepp Blatter who was allowed to resign from FIFA in 2011 with his “presumption of innocence” maintained, is currently fighting extradition from Trinidad and Tobago on US charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money-laundering.

The decision by the FIFA ethics committee yesterday shows that judge Hans-Joachim Eckert will pursue officials long after they have left their jobs.

A more pressing case for the ethics body is an investigation into Blatter, who was interrogated by Swiss prosecutors last Friday in part over allegations he undervalued the awarding of World Cup television rights to Warner.

Blatter, who denies wrongdoing, is at risk of being suspended by his own organisation. Warner’s lifetime FIFA ban stems from Eckert’s report on the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

As leader of the CONCACAF region from 1990-2011, Warner gained considerable influence in World Cup votes by the FIFA executive committee and now the extent of his wrongdoing has been reinforced by Eckert.

“Mr Warner was found to have committed many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-ranking and influential positions,” the FIFA statement said.

“In his positions as a football official, he was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments, as well as other money-making schemes.”

The case highlights how the spectre of corruption has hung over FIFA under Blatter’s 17-year presidency.

Former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon, who hopes to succeed Blatter in February’s election, said yesterday that the leadership crisis is so severe that an emergency taskforce should be set up to run the game.

With Blatter under criminal investigation and general secretary Jerome Valcke suspended and being investigated by the ethics committee, Chung said FIFA is in “total meltdown.”

“Under such circumstances, FIFA and regional confederations should consider convening extraordinary sessions of their respective executive committee(s) as well as congress to set up an emergency taskforce that will enable FIFA secretariat to function without interruption,” Chung, a former vice-president under Blatter, said in a statement from South Korea.

Among Chung’s potential rivals in February’s election is UEFA President Michel Platini, who has been questioned as a witness over a payment from FIFA - one of the reasons Blatter was interrogated on Friday by Swiss authorities.

Blatter and Platini denied wrongdoing as they await news from the ethics committee, which is looking into the case.