18 Oct 2011

Warner blames Zionism for FIFA fallout

6:48 am on 18 October 2011

The former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has blamed Zionism for the circumstances that led to him and former Asian Football Confederation chief Mohammed Bin Hammam being forced out of the sport.

The 68-year-old Warner resigned from FIFA after ethics investigations were begun into a meeting he held with Bin Hammam where FIFA say payments were made to Caribbean football officials ahead of the election for FIFA president in June.

Qatari Bin Hammam was handed a lifetime ban by FIFA for his role in the affair while a number of Caribbean officials were given suspensions last week.

Trinadadian Warner says in a letter to the Trinidad Guardian, which will be published in full tomorrow, he intends to speak out on the affair and highlighted who he felt was to blame for his downfall.

The payments, of $50,000 to each federation, came to light after some Caribbean officials turned to American Chuck Blazer, a FIFA executive committee member and general secretary of CONCACAF, the regional body for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Blazer then handed evidence to FIFA which began an inquiry which initially suspended Warner.

The case against him was dropped when he resigned all his posts in the game.

The Trinidad Guardian cited Warner as saying he would reveal gifts that current FIFA president Sepp Blatter made in his election campaigns.