By Andrew Warshaw
December 9 – Having lost three presidents in quick succession as a result of the FIFA corruption scandal, CONCACAF is not taking the same risk again and has decided against putting someone else in place until its next congress in May.
The move follows the arrest of Honduran FIFA vice-president Alfredo Hawit, one of those cited in the latest list of indictments in the United States.
Hawit has twice occupied the post on an interim basis but having now lost him plus Jeffrey Webb, currently under house arrest, and Webb’s predecessor Jack Warner, who is fighting extradition from his native Trinidad, CONCACAF are taking a more cautious, collective approach.
Its executive committee has voted unanimously to run the show until a new leader is democratically elected by member associations on May 12 in Mexico City.
A CONCACAF statement said: “The exco concluded that, in light of current events, it is critical that the confederation’s next president be determined by a public election and the scrutiny that comes with it.”
Current members Justino Compean, Horace Burrell, Sunil Gulati, Pedro Chaluja, Luis Hernandez, Victor Montagliani, and Sonia Bien-Aime, will thus oversee the confederation’s business working with acting general secretary Ted Howard.
Compean, who would technically have been next in line for the presidency, was comfortable with the new arrangement.
“CONCACAF must maintain stability in the confederation’s day-to-day operations,” the Mexican said. “This interim leadership structure demonstrates the exco’s unity and allows us to serve our member associations with a high level of efficiency, transparency, and accountability.”
Burrell added: “It is critical for the confederation’s future that the next president be elected by the full Congress, rather than statutorily appointed. Under this leadership structure, CONCACAF can ensure there is sufficient time to publicly vet candidates while the confederation focuses on continued implementation of strong reforms.”
Hawit, currently in Switzerland fighting extradition after being arrested last week, took over for the second time at the helm of the embattled confederation when Webb was detained in similar circumstances in May. The Honduran is one of a raft of central and South American officials alleged to have taken massive bribes over the sale of broadcast rights. Many of them, in Hawit’s case, were reportedly wired to accounts under the name of his wife.
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