THE BOSSMAN of FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations), Sepp Blatter, was last week telling the international media how “unhappy” he was over the reported  bribery scandals surrounding CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football),  one of six continental governing bodies affiliated to the powerful Federation.
Well, Blatter’s more fierce and persistent critics may well say it’s time that he not merely allude to his ‘unhappiness’, but provide some details. After all, allegations of mismanagement and corruption have often erupted over Blatter’s past 13-year leadership of FIFA, but which, nevertheless, failed to prevent him from recently securing a fourth consecutive term as President of soccer’s world body.
What is quite relevant to football associations in the Caribbean and Americas is that the 75-year-old Blatter is aware of unflattering claims that he had failed to address, prior to and since, the eruption of allegations of bribery surrounding CONCACAF’s management as they particularly relate to the special meeting of representatives of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) in Port-of-Spain, ahead of the FIFA congress in Zurich, at which he was re-elected.
It became public knowledge once long-serving top executives of CONCACAF — Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago and Qatar’s Mohamed bin Hamam — were suspended for two months, pending investigation into allegations of bribery at the CFU meeting in Port-of-Spain, that claims of corruption and nepotism in management were nothing new, and involved some very influential international allies of the FIFA President.
Further, it has been observed that the concerted attacks now being focused on Trinidad and Tobago’s Warner and Qatar’s bin Hammam following their suspension from FIFA have emerged as a wider issue of geo-politics in the wake of Qatar’s triumph against the USA and others to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
When the allegations against Blatter himself and colleagues such as Chuck Blazer of the USA, in addition to Warner and bin Hammam are taken into consideration, it becomes evident that current efforts in some quarters to ‘blacken’ the reputation of Caribbean football in general or that of Warner and Trinidad and Tobago in particular, require some attention also by the political directorate of the Caribbean Community.
While FIFA is yet to provide any information to the Commissioner of Police of Trinidad and Tobago, Dwayne Gibbs, to his official request in relation to bribery allegations against Warner (Minister of Works and Transport, and chairman of the United National Congress), controversies continue over not just Warner’s future, but that of the People’s Partnership Government of which he is undoubtedly its most popular minister.
Since, therefore, there seems to be more than the proverbial mortar in the pestle in this FIFA/CONCACAF turmoil involving mismanagement and corruption at high levels and different countries, the CARICOM leaders should consider devoting some attention to the issue, with a view to making a public statement. The opportunity would be their coming annual Heads of Government Conference in St. Kitts, scheduled to start on Friday, July 1.