By Andrew Warshaw
February 12 – FIFA is withholding the annual pension of its former vice-president Jack Warner (pictured) following last year’s cash-for-votes scandal, according to reports in his native Trinidad.
Warner, who still holds a Government position as Minister of Works for Trinidad and Tobago, resigned from FIFA last June – rather than face a probe into claims that he set up the infamous Trinidad hotel meeting where fellow FIFA vice-president Mohamed bin Hammam (pictured below) allegedly offered cash to Caribbean delegates to vote for him against Sepp Blatter in the Presidential election.
Bin Hammam swiftly withdrew his candidacy when the case came to light but was subsequently banned for life, a sentence which he is appealing against.
Warner, despite his resignation, was still due a FIFA life pension that could apparently have earned him over $36,000 (£23,000/€27,000) per year given the length of time he served FIFA as a member of its Executive Committee.
When he gave up all footballing activities following a provisional suspension, Ethics Committee procedures against him were closed and the presumption of innocence maintained.
Yet FIFA has nevertheless confirmed it is not paying out.
“We can confirm that at present Jack Warner is not receiving a FIFA pension,” said a brief statement that appeared in the Caribbean media.
Last week, office equipment was seized from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), for whom Warner used to be a special advisor, by a group of players who participated in the 2006 World Cup.
The players have long complained that they have not received millions of dollars of outstanding bonuses promised to them for both qualifying for and playing in Germany in 2006.
The recent raid, which involved 13 former players, followed the TTFF’s failure to make a second interim payment the players say has been due to them since October 2011.
The TTFF has previously laid the blame for the problem squarely with Warner, who in turn has distanced himself from the agreement.
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