FIFA have been urged to clarify guidelines over gifts by one of the delegates involved in the controversial meeting which led to an investigation into alleged bribery.
Carlos Prowell, the vice-president of the Guyana Football Federation, says FIFA president Sepp Blatter set a precedent by announcing he was giving $1million (£626,000) to the CONCACAF federation in May.
It is alleged that one week later, at a special meeting in Trinidad, FIFA members Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam arranged payments of $40,000 (£25,000) each in cash to the 25 members of the Caribbean Football Union.
Prowell was at that meeting but insists he took a decision not to accept any gift – and he wants FIFA to eliminate any grey areas about the giving of gifts.
He said: ‘FIFA should have clear guidelines about what is an acceptable gift.
‘At the CONCACAF Congress in Miami, Sepp Blatter announced he was giving CONCACAF $1m and in my opinion that set a precedent.’
Warner said in May that Blatter had arranged the CONCACAF gift without consulting FIFA’s finance committee. FIFA said the president had his own budget from which he could allocate funds and have it approved afterwards.
Meanwhile, Warner has described as ‘nonsense’ claims by one of his close associates that he voted for Qatar instead of the United States for the 2022 World Cup.
Warner was, until his resignation last month, president of the CONCACAF federation of countries from north and central American and the Caribbean and a FIFA vice-president.
As CONCACAF president it would have been shocking for Warner to have backed Qatar over the USA, one of the countries in his confederation.
But Patrick John, president of the Dominica FA and a long-time ally of Warner, claims that he did vote for Qatar – and that the charges against Warner were a result of a conspiracy organised in response by the USA and England.
John told local radio in Dominica: ‘The whole thing is a conspiracy against Jack Warner. Jack promised the United States to push for the World Cup but when the thing came along at FIFA level Jack supported Qatar. That hurt the United States.
‘Jack promised the English FA to push for the World Cup for them, but Jack sided with Russia so these two confederations are up in arms against Jack, they are the only federations making trouble.’
Warner insisted that was not the case, saying in an email: ‘If Mr John did say so then that is nonsense but I imagine that one day all of this foolishness will come to an end.’
Bin Hammam has expressed his hope that he will receive a fair hearing when he appears before FIFA’s ethics committee later this month.
The 62-year-old said on his website: ‘I am still looking for and hoping to receive a fair hearing – one which will not be influenced by any political agenda or motivation.’
FIFA’s ethics committee will meet on July 22 and 23 to hear the case. FIFA dropped the investigation against Warner following his resignation from football-related activities saying he was no longer under their jurisdiction.
This Fifa Drama is more exciting that Politics. In politics however jobs would have been lost already. Hey this site http://www.socccernumber1.blogspot.com is a Blog by a dominican on football news
So how the hell you idiots vote him back in as DFA president?
PJ it does not seem like u have repented,u still behave like a politition whose sole interest is power and money,Skerrit could do well with u on his side.It’s clear u seemed more interested in warner than anything else.
Well this is “mouth open and story jump out”. Lots more to come P.J. Now tell me, who in d/ca is gonna take your word for it?
one flew over a cuckoos nest
“the charges against Jack Warner are the result of a conspiracy” ? That is not the same as saying they are not true! Why else did a proud man like Jack Warner resign rather than defend himself? P. J. also has not answered the question whether he, in person was the recipient of a a U.S.$.40,000 gif, disbursed on the occasion of the meeting in Trinidad in May.
I think PJ voted again for the Klu Klux Klan…what a shame that PJ is allowed to be making decisions on Dominica’s behalf….I am no longer plauing football…I am a Goat Herder now.
how do we expect things to go right in these organisations? every thing is bribe and selfishness,poor the children of today, theleaders are all corrupt.
Wait a minute!! Did PJ feel he was helping Warner with his statements??
LOL! what does that tell you of the man. he believes he is saying something good on Warner. Warner must be saying that PJ must be mad to make such a statement.
You have to understand that in the demise of Jack Warner, P.J. sees a golden opportunity to try and grab the FIFA position vacated by his “friend” Jack. In order to do so he must distance himself in some way and convey the impression that he is a “clean pair of hands”, never was in full agreement with the policies pursued by his friend and present himself in a different light. Make no mistake, meme bete meme pwel! P.J. was always about P.J. and that has not changed. Leopards don’t change their spots.