Chuck Blazer, the American General Secretary of CONCACAF, announced he is leaving his post at the end of the year, but will remain on FIFA’s Executive Committee. Blazer, 65, has been milking football for his personal profit and pleasure under the tutelage of CONCACAF and FIFA godfather Jack Warner for two decades. In the build up to the FIFA presidential election earlier in the year, Blazer blew the whistle on a cash-for-votes scheme that led to Blatter being reelected unopposed.
In August, it was also revealed that Blazer was under FBI investigation for tax evasion. Investigative reporter Andrew Jennings — the bane of FIFA crooks’ existence — has written about Blazer’s world of offshore accounts and football-funded lavish lifestyle. “His confidential contract reveals that he hires himself out from his Cayman-based company Sportvertising,” Jennings writes. “It also reveals that he pockets 10% in ‘commissions’ from regional football marketing deals. Last year he picked up nearly $2 million and over the last five years has taken $9.6 million. The sums are recorded in Concacaf accounts – which are not made public – under the heading of ‘Commissions’ – but with no indication he received them.”
A former CONCACAF employee in New York blogged in May about going out with Blazer to strip clubs in Manhattan. The General Secretary treated himself and his staff to “food, strippers, dancers, and massages” paid with “an American Express Card, with CONCACAF and Blazer’s name on it. [. . .] That’s what the General Secretary and Treasurer of CONCACAF, the FIFA Executive from North America, spent the region’s money on . . . regularly,” wrote Mel Brennan.
For Sunil Gulati, US Soccer president, however, “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.” For the good of the game: the saga continues.
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7 replies on “Blazer Leaves CONCACAF, Remains in FIFA Executive”
I had the honor of breaking the news to Andrew Jennings, in Köln at the Play the Game conference. He’d just won the PtG Award for his efforts to uncover corruption in FIFA & CONCACAF. A sense of vindication and optimism intensified the festivities!
Peter,
I love the pic.
Galati does the usual.
If Gulati is a decent man, he would also step down. How could you be at the same time president of Kraft soccer, cashing certainly six-digit salaries, and president of the USSF? Any conflict of interest!?
The USSF is a strange organization. It’s structured 50% like a 17-century absolute monarchy in Europe, and 50% like the Russian or Italian mob.
I would like to see Jennings here, doing a piece on the USSF.
David — do you want to approach Andrew Jennings about Steven’s idea?
Steven,
Yes, will do!
May 2012 update, CONCACAF learns more about Warner and Blazer’s corrupt reign . . . and, needless to say, it isn’t good at all.
http://leastthing.blogspot.com/2012/05/stunning-revelations-from-concacaf.html
Appreciation to my father who informed me about this weblog, this weblog is actually amazing.