“This for me was a legal distraction,” said former FIFA Vice President, Austin Jack Warner.The former football executive was referring to a defamation case brought against him by Suruj Rambachan, which was settled out of court for $375,000.
According to Warner, who is fighting extradition to the United States where he faces a dozen charges related to fraud and recketeering in football, the case is minor when compared to his battle with the Trinidad and Tobago government.
That matter has been in the court for the past three years, it had not even started, I don’t want myself to be distracted by these petty issues and have it go on for another three years,” said Warner.
This is the second case this year Warner has settled, according to him, for the same reason.
The former CONCACAF boss, earlier this year, was made to pay former government minister, Devant Maharaj.
“It was petty and I felt no point in burdening the court, I want to focus on one matter and that is my extradition matter,” Warner said of this latest legal battle.
Rambachan, however, says the decision to settle, vindicates him and the position he has taken over the last three years.
“Mr Warner uttered several outlandish statements with the intention of assassinating my character and causing maximum distress to my family. These statements included baseless allegations of corruption of which there was absolutely no evidence. I am extremely happy with the order of the Court,” said Rambachan.
“The statements that formed the subject matter of this action were made while I held the position as a minister of government and by his agreement to pay damages today it clearly demonstrates that those statements were made with the clear intention to gain a political advantage,” he added.
Warner, meanwhile, says he is spending time pursuing a doctorate and writing a book.

(Sportsmax.com)