- Chuck Blazer
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Chuck Blazer Born Charles Blazer
26 April 1945
New York City, United StatesResidence New York City Nationality American Known for Soccer administrator Charles "Chuck" Blazer (born 26 April 1945) is an American soccer administrator.
He has been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1996, and served as Commissioner of the American Soccer League and Executive Vice President of the United States Soccer Federation.[1] He is currently the General Secretary of CONCACAF.
Controversies
In May of 2011, in response to allegations of bribery made by national representatives attending a 10 May meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Blazer initiated an investigation of AFC President Mohammed bin Hammam and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner. The investigation was conducted by John P.Collins, former United States federal prosecutor and FIFA Legal Committee member. Its submission led to FIFA's 29 May 2011 suspension of Warner and Bin Hammam from all soccer activities pending the outcome of FIFA's own investigation and procedures.[2][3][4]
At the same time of these allegations, Lisle Austin was named acting president of CONCACAF and on May 31st, Austin terminated Blazer’s services with immediate effect for the following four reasons:
- “On May 30, 2011, at the Swissotel, Zurich, Switzerland, you grossly insulted and defamed every member Association of the Caribbean of the CONCACAF by stating categorically that each member Association is under investigation for bribery; and
- Without any authorization whatsoever from the Executive Committee of CONCACAF you hired the law firm of Collins and Collins to conduct an unauthorized investigation of CONCACAF and its personnel and members.
- Deliberately not informing myself, as I am now for the moment the President of CONCACAF, of the CONCACAF Caucus prior to the FIFA Congress of June 1 and usurping the authority of the President to chair all meetings of CONCACAF including the Caucus.
- Improperly appointing 5 non-elected members of CONCACAF to act as delegates to the FIFA Congress of June 1 rather than eligible elected members including myself, the acting President of CONCACAF.”[5][6][7]
During a meeting that was neither convened by the Acting President nor the President[8] on June 2 [9] a majority of the Executive Committee responded to Austin's assertion of authority by suspending him, stating that he was being "banned from all football activities within CONCACAF and at the national level ... for apparent infringement of the CONCACAF Statutes."[10]
Austin asserts that this meeting of the Executive Committee was neither convened by the Acting President or the President nor was Austin given notice of the meeting, according to CONCACAF statutes [11], this meeting and any purported decisions were to be rendered null and void.[12][13] However, this suspected breach of CONCACAF statutes was disregarded and in a statement provided by CONCACAF, it was announced that Lisle Austin had been provisionally suspended.[14]
On 15 June 2011, Blazer was questioned by FIFA's ethics committee after an official complaint was made in a letter to the committee signed by 11 heads of Caribbean federations. The letter said Blazer made "…statements of contempt and slander that served to impugn the integrity, discriminate against and infringe upon the personal rights…" of CONCACAF members. A further excerpt from the letter reads, “[Blazer] discriminated against certain members of the Concacaf through his contemptuous and denigratory words since all the persons who were singled out were of a specific race.” [15][16]
On August 10th, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee “...decided to ban Lisle Austin from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) for a period of one year for lodging a claim related to football matters…” and until such time as he withdrew his civil suit against CONCACAF. [17]
On Sunday August 14, 2011, Football journalist Andrew Jennings noted in the UK Independent, that the FBI is examining documentary evidence revealing confidential football payments to offshore accounts operated by Chuck Blazer.[8] Specifically, Jennings cites that Blazer accepted $2million in commissions from marketing deals in 2010.[18][19]
On August 16th, Reuters reported that the FBI confirmed it was examining documents recording more than $500,000 in payments made by the Caribbean Football Union to Blazer.[20]
References
- ^ "Profile". FIFA. http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/bodies/members/people=24681.html. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
- ^ Bahamian Whistle Blower Applauded, Repeating Islands, fr/ The Tribune, 31 May 2011, Allison Lowe
- ^ FIFA Suspends Warner, Bin Hammam, FIFA Press Release, 30 May 2011
- ^ Bin Hammam, Warner Investigation, India News, 26 May 2011
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jun/15/chuck-blazer-fifa-caribbean-officials
- ^ http://www.twitvid.com/UUFTG
- ^ http://www.twitvid.com/GEQ2O
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.tt/node/15280
- ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1394256/FIFA-hit-fresh-sleaze-row-CONCACAF-president-Lisle-Austin-suspended.html
- ^ http://football.uk.reuters.com/leagues/world/news/2011/06/09/LDE75825T.php
- ^ http://www.concacaf.com/staticFiles/af/41/0,,12813~147887,00.pdf
- ^ http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20110605/sports/sports10.html
- ^ http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/austin-banned/
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jun/04/lisle-austin-suspended-concacaf
- ^ http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/06/15/11/fifa-ethics-committee-question-blazer-after-complaint
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13774179.stm
- ^ http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/news/newsid=1490214/index.html
- ^ http://www.transparencyinsport.org/Lucky_Chuckie/blazer_takes_10_percent_on_sponser_deals.html
- ^ http://www.transparencyinsport.org/Lucky_Chuckie/PDF-documents/$250K-First-Caribbean-Bahamas.pdf
- ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/16/us-soccer-fifa-fbi-idUSTRE77F6UT20110816
External links
Categories:- 1945 births
- Living people
- Association football executives
- American whistleblowers
- People from New York City
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