Investigators to travel to Bahamas to investigate FIFA bribery scandal

By Andrew Warshaw

June 11 – The investigation into the FIFA bribery scandal has been switched from Miami to the Bahamas after Caribbean members refused to travel to the United States.

Last month, FIFA’s Ethics Committee appointed former FBI director Louis Freeh to investigate claims that Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam, respectively head of CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, either paid or offered bribes of $40,000 (£24,000) to each of the Caribbean Football Union’s (CFU) 25 associations.

Initially interviews with the Caribbean countries were to have taken place in Miami but will now take place in the Bahamas, ironically the country which first produced evidence of alleged bribes to whistleblower Chuck Blazer whose job as general secretary of CONCACAF has been the subject of so much conjecture.

Warner and Bin Hammam have both been suspended pending the outcome of the bribery probe while Blazer, amid a growing split among CONCACAF countries, is now back in his job after an attempt to remove him by parties loyal to Warner.

Horace Burrell, the Jamaican who is acting President of the CFU, confirmed all members would speak to the investigators in the Bahamas.

“In light of the attempts to address the challenges facing the Caribbean Football Union; as well as to bring closure to the Ethics Committee proceedings, members of the CFU will fully cooperate with any investigation being conducted on behalf of the FIFA ethics committee,” he said.

“We have received notice that the requested interviews will now be conducted in the Bahamas as opposed to the United States of America.

“This event has dragged on for too long, many have suffered and many will continue to suffer.

“And so the union is unified in its position that in the interest of this game, we have agreed to attend the interviews at dates convenient to our respective members.”

Meanwhile, the power struggle within the CONCACAF confederation shows no sign of abating.

Lisle Austin, a Warner ally who has been banned by FIFA from any football activity, said he had won a court injunction allowing him to continue as acting President of the confederation.

But this was, in turn, negated when FIFA sent a letter to all CONCACAF countries saying Alfredo Hawit of Honduras remained in charge pending a final decision over Warner.

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