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FIFA whistleblower Blazer forced out of CONCACAF by fall-out from bribery scandal
Chuck Blazer, the man who blew the whistle on FIFA corruption, is to step down as general secretary of the CONCACAF confederation.
Blazer will continue as a FIFA executive committee member but will leave his CONCACAF post on December 31.
The 66-year-old said: 'My passion for soccer is undiminished and it is time for me to explore new challenges within this wonderful sport.
Fresh challenge: Chuck Blazer
'Running a governing body has been an incredibly fulfilling job, but there are so many other areas of the sport where as a senior executive, I will make a great impact.'
It was Blazer who alerted FIFA to allegations of bribery at a meeting in Trinidad in May which led to fellow FIFA member Mohamed Bin Hammam being banned for life and Jack Warner resigning from football activity.
Blazer admitted that the huge turmoil in Caribbean football caused by his revelations had caused him to consider a change.
Some 15 officials are awaiting FIFA ethics committee hearings charged with rule breaches in connection with the Trinidad meeting where cash gifts of 40,000 US dollars were paid or offered to associations.
Blazer said 'There's no question that the environment is not the same as it was.
'There is considerable discord among the members, the entire Caribbean football is in turmoil, a lot of people are up on charges and others are standing for offices to fill a power vacuum.
'I feel it would be good to be in another environment and I can operate anywhere in the world, anywhere that needs someone to run their operation well.'
Banned: Mohamed bin Hammam
Blazer will end 21 years at CONCACAF, the confederation of countries from north and central America and the Caribbean, during which time their annual revenues increased from 140,000 US dollars to 40million US dollars
Blazer also spearheaded the move to bring FIFA's marketing and television rights in-house and was instrumental in securing FIFA's 425million US dollar deal with Univision and ESPN for rights to show the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Blazer also spearheaded the move to bring FIFA's marketing and television rights in-house and was instrumental in securing FIFA's 425million US dollar deal with Univision and ESPN for rights to show the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
US Soccer president Sunil Gulati said: 'Chuck's contributions to the sport over the last 30 years are unparalleled.
'All of us in CONCACAF owe him a great debt of gratitude for his sustained efforts in helping to take the sport to where it is today. There is no doubt that he will continue to make an impact in whatever role he chooses.'
Blazer admitted that the huge turmoil in Caribbean football caused by his revelations had caused him to consider a change.
Some 15 officials are awaiting FIFA ethics committee hearings charged with rule breaches in connection with the Trinidad meeting where cash gifts of 40,000 US dollars were paid or offered to associations.
Blazer said: 'There's no question that the environment is not the same as it was.
'There is considerable discord among the members, the entire Caribbean football is in turmoil, a lot of people are up on charges and others are standing for offices to fill a power vacuum.
'I feel it would be good to be in another environment and I can operate anywhere in the world, anywhere that needs someone to run their operation well.'
Blazer will end 21 years at CONCACAF, the confederation of countries from north and central America and the Caribbean, during which time their annual revenues increased from 140,000 US dollars to 40million US dollars.
Blazer also spearheaded the move to bring FIFA's marketing and television rights in-house and was instrumental in securing FIFA's 425million US dollar deal with Univision and ESPN for rights to show the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
Blazer also spearheaded the move to bring FIFA's marketing and television rights in-house and was instrumental in securing FIFA's 425million US dollar deal with Univision and ESPN for rights to show the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
US Soccer president Sunil Gulati said: 'Chuck's contributions to the sport over the last 30 years are unparalleled.
'All of us in CONCACAF owe him a great debt of gratitude for his sustained efforts in helping to take the sport to where it is today. There is no doubt that he will continue to make an impact in whatever role he chooses.'
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