BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Eleven Caribbean Football Union members have lodged a formal complaint to FIFA over the behaviour of CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer, in the latest twist to the ongoing saga that has rocked the sport globally.
In a letter to FIFA’s ethics committee, the CFU nations charged that Blazer’s recent actions at a CONCACAF meeting last month was in “direct contravention” of sections of FIFA’s Code of Ethics and asked them to investigate the American’s conduct.
The letter charged that Blazer “made statements of contempt and slander that served to impugn the integrity, discriminate against and infringe upon the personal rights of officials of FIFA member associations in attendance”.
“We believe that the actions of Mr Blazer are in direct contravention of but not limited to Article 8 and Article 9 of the FIFA Code of Ethics,” said the letter.
Blazer has been at the centre of the controversy as it was his report to FIFA that sparked a probe into bribery allegations and led to the suspension of CONCACAF and CFU president Jack Warner.
The CFU nations claimed in the letter that at the meeting held on May 30, Blazer tried to prevent Jamaica Football Federation president Captain Horace Burrell from becoming a CONCACAF vice-president for the Caribbean zone, and had “violated the personal rights” of the individual.
It is alleged that Blazer told Burrell he could not be nominated because he was under investigation coming out of the now infamous meeting with former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam last month, where bribes were supposed to have been handed out in exchange for votes.
Blazer is also accused of inferring that other CFU federations were also under investigation.
The letter said that CFU were unaware of FIFA and CONCACAF contacting any member to give notification of any investigation that was being carried out.
Further, the letter contended that Blazer’s statements had “flouted the principle of natural or a natural or legal person being innocent before being proved guilty” and had also violated the personal rights of FIFA member associations.
“Mr Blazer, through his statements, discriminated against Captain Burrell and certain members of the CONCACAF through his contemptuous and denigratory words since all the persons who were singled out were of a specific race,” the letter said.