Fifa demand answers from those linked. . .

[Tilla]

to Mohamed Bin Hammam

Tuesday, 26 July 2011



REUTERS
Bin Hammam has been banned for life

FIFA have given all 25 Caribbean associations 48 hours to provide statements about the events at the meeting in Trinidad which led to Mohamed Bin Hammam being banned for life for bribery.

The associations have been warned that "truthful and complete" reporting of the events is necessary with anyone not coming forward facing "the full range of sanctions", which includes a life ban.

Qatari Bin Hammam, who was bidding for the presidency of world football's governing body, was banned by FIFA's ethics committee on Saturday after being found guilty of giving or offering cash gifts of around 40,000 US dollars each to the Caribbean associations. He has said he will appeal.

FIFA said in a statement: "FIFA has sent a letter yesterday 25 July to all CFU associations, asking the associations, their presidents, and any of their members with knowledge of anything that transpired during the meetings held on 10 and 11 May in Trinidad and Tobago, to provide and report all relevant information in their possession within 48 hours.

"Truthful and complete reporting will be considered in mitigation by the ethics committee when deciding on potential sanctions. Any person who has relevant information but does not come forward during this 48-hour period will be subject to the full range of sanctions.

"Following this 48-hour period, the ethics committee will be asked to open the necessary ethics proceedings."

All of the 25 associations from the Caribbean Football Union bar Cuba attended the meeting on May 10 and 11, where Bin Hammam was speaking about his campaign to be FIFA president.

Officials from nine associations told investigators last month they were given or offered cash gifts of 40,000 US dollars each. The other 15 denied receiving any cash gifts or refused to meet investigators.

The investigation into the bribery claims was carried out by the Freeh Group International (FGI) Europe - the private investigative agency owned by ex-FBI chief Louis Freeh.

Four associations did not respond to invitations to meet investigators - Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Montserrat.

A further 11 associations did send officials to meet investigators but denied receiving cash gifts. They were: Barbados, Guyana, British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago and United States Virgin Islands.

[Assasin]

I heard Burrell on the radio say nobody from Ja got anything or was offerred anything. Jack and Burrell was so close him never have to offer anything. LOL. "Yow skip, your ting round a back fi you when you ready"

[Hortical]

Dem have other means fi pass on the cash and a brown envelope was not necessary!

Surinam president confirms cash gift
http://sport.uk.msn.com/football/new...ntid=158195273

[Karl]

Time's up! - FIFA’s 48-hour ultimatum to CFU runs out today

Time's up! - FIFA’s 48-hour ultimatum to CFU runs out today

BY SEAN A WILLIAMS Assistant Sport Editor williamss@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, July 27, 2011


www.jamaicaobserver.com | Jamaican News Online - JamaicaObserver.com?

ACTING president of the embattled Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Jamaican Captain Horace Burrell, says he expects all members yet to co-operate with FIFA's Ethics Committee investigations into bribery allegations to comply in time to meet a 48-hour ultimatum issued by the world governing body of the sport.

FIFA has given Caribbean football leaders a last chance to explain their part in a Trinidad meeting where Mohamed bin Hammam allegedly offered them bribes, or face the possibility of life bans from football.

"All members of the CFU have agreed that they will comply with the latest FIFA order, and I expect that they will," said Burrell, who is also president of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).

Football's scandal-hit governing body sent letters Monday setting out a today deadline for CFU members to provide "truthful and complete" versions of events.

"Any person who has relevant information but does not come forward during this 48-hour period will be subject to the full range of sanctions," FIFA said in a statement.

Of nine countries that are on record of co-operating with investigators, Burrell categorically stated that Jamaica was one of them.

"We (JFF) have co-operated with these investigations and were present at the Bahamas meetings conducted by former FBI director Louis Freeh, who is leading the investigation on behalf of FIFA. We spoke with Mr Freeh and the meeting was respectful from both sides," said the CONCACAF Executive Committee member.

The CFU membership had refused to meet with Freeh and his team for interviews in Miami, but some complied when the venue was switched to the less prejudicial Bahamas last month.

"Some members were not able to attend for various reasons," Burrell said yesterday.

Last month as the story unravelled about the cash-for-vote that resulted in bin Hammam being banned for life by FIFA's ethics committee on Saturday, Burrell had defended Jamaica by declaring that "we were neither offered nor received" any gifts. He has maintained that position.

The Qatari bin Hammam was accused of offering US$40,000 cash bribes to Caribbean officials to back his later-abandoned presidential bid to unseat Sepp Blatter.

In its letter to all 25 CFU members on Monday, FIFA asked "the associations, their presidents and any of their members... (for) knowledge of anything that transpired" in Trinidad at a May 10-11 conference, which bin Hammam acknowledges that he paid for.

"Following this 48-hour period, the ethics committee will be asked to open the necessary ethics proceedings," the FIFA correspondent said.

"Truthful and complete reporting will be considered in mitigation by the ethics committee when deciding on potential sanctions," it added.
With at least nine Caribbean countries said to have co-operated with FIFA's investigation into the bribery claims, and a 10th — Cuba — was not present in Trinidad for the controversial meet.

Of the 15 remaining CFU members, 12 wrote testimonies denying the allegations and supporting bin Hammam and Caribbean football powerbroker Jack Warner when they first appeared before FIFA's ethics panel in May.

Those supporters were targeted in recent weeks by FIFA investigators, led by Freeh, but some did not co-operate or did not accept invitations to be quizzed in Miami and the Bahamas last month.

The sanctions threatened by FIFA could potentially remove the Caribbean's most experienced football leaders.

Most are longtime allies of Warner, who avoided the ethics panel's scrutiny by resigning from all his football positions last month, including his 28-year seat on FIFA's executive committee, and his presidencies of the CONCACAF regional confederation and the CFU.

FIFA said Warner maintained a "presumption of innocence" as he returned to his job as a government minister in his native Trinidad and Tobago.
Bin Hammam denies wrongdoing and has pledged to appeal his lifetime ban.
Two CFU staffers, Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, got one-year bans from FIFA on Saturday for their part distributing the cash payments.

Meanwhile, Burrell said he is anxious to see the ugly matter laid to rest and that the CFU can return to being a united family.

"It is important to remove this cloud and return to the business of getting the family back together and focused on the business of football... it is indeed a challenging time for Caribbean football and for me to take the reins at this time, but as leaders we have to expect this kind of thing," he ended.



Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport...#ixzz1TJRjc4sD

[Karl]

Seit deh? As expected FIFA (Blatter paying back Blazer for

saving his skin - quid pro quo) moves to get rid of the CFU's FIFA & CONCACAF present delegates and strengthen Blazers hand. Yup! - Blatter now tries return the favour. Blatter now tries to save Blazer from the old guard of CFU delegates getting rid of Blazer.

...but as corrupt as is Blatter's and Blazer's action the most important thing is - what happens next with the CFU and CONCACAF?

Let us assume the worst - FIFA's ethics committee bans for life all the current CFU Executives that attended the meeting in T'dad - Will the incoming officers follow the blueprint laid down by Jack by voting as a bloc and thus control CONCACAF, retain the CFU's powerful influence in FIFA and thus bring projects and products to the CFU as Jack did?

...or will they descend into "crab in a barrel" syndrome? Fight (vote split) each other and allow/seed CONCACAF to outside forces and have us return to the backwater days where CFU, saving the Spanish speaking members - Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and the other 2 or 3 who sold out to Blazer and Blatter reap all the benefits?

We shall see if FIFA uses its accepted practise of, to hell with evidence or lack thereof and rules as it wishes...thereby having its internal cabal get rid of Burrell and all perceived to be Jack's allies. I would be extremely surprised if Burrell and the others are not shown the door.

They have long declared they were with Jack (Hey they have on numerous occasions voted en bloc at Jack's bidding - anyone remembers the last 2 CONCACAF Congresses when the interests outside the CFU challenged Jack? - The 1st occasion was particularly laughable as Jack outflanked them and publicly caused persons to take 'back water'.) - and thus FIFA power brokers would consider them foes.

We shall see what

Any person who has relevant information but does not come forward during this 48-hour period will be subject to the full range of sanctions," FIFA said in a statement.

really means!

[HL]

Cap'n Burrell (if I am not mistaken) is on the FIFA ethics and disciplinary committee; so..............................................

[Gamma]

exactly karl. what a wide brush! if certain people are under investigation, tell them and ask them to defend themselves instead of asking EVERYBODY for the baking information ....

[Gamma]

assuming he is not under investigation ....

[OJ]

well as someone said.. if you ban someone for giving a bribe you have to ban some from taking it..

[Gamma]

true.. if he gave it to someone, then you must know who that someone is because you are banning him for giving it...

[Assasin]

them going to have a hard cookie on their hand.
Burrell was very stern about knowing nothing of bribe. I would believe he is going to contest everything about it, if they accuse him.

[Pbanta]

Watch what we say or else

Have a read.

http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/ussoc...in-banned.html

[Karl]

Seit!

FIFA a guh seh - Guilty fi ebrywan dem nuh waan vote gainst di US Chuck Blazer...but he should be 'dead man walking' even if 25 new persons from CFU come in.

[Karl]

Seit deh! CFU officials face life bans as FIFA set to start

http://www.guardian.co.tt/sport/2011...rruption-cases