Always blame the Jews

Sports | Mon Oct 17, 2011 11:21am EDT

Former FIFA vice-president Warner blames Zionism for downfall

PORT OF SPAIN

Suspended FIFA executive member Jack Warner talks to journalists at the lobby of a hotel in Zurich early May 30, 2011.

REUTERS/ARND WIEGMANN

Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has blamed Zionism for the circumstances that led to him and former Asian Football Confederation chief Mohammed Bin Hammam being forced out of world football.

Warner, 68, resigned from FIFA after ethics investigations were begun into a meeting he held with Bin Hammam where FIFA say payments were made to Caribbean soccer officials ahead of the election for FIFA president in June.

Qatari Bin Hammam was handed a lifetime ban by FIFA for his role in the affair while a number of Caribbean officials were given suspensions last week.

Bin Hammam was not immediately available for comment.

Trinadadian Warner says in a letter to the Trinidad Guardian, which will be published in full on Tuesday, he intends to speak out on the affair and highlighted who he felt was to blame for his downfall.

"I will talk about the Zionism, which probably is the most important reason why this acrid attack on Bin Hammam and me was mounted," Warner told the newspaper.

The payments, of $40,000 (25,400 pounds) to each federation, came to light after some Caribbean officials turned to American Chuck Blazer, a FIFA executive committee member and general secretary of CONCACAF, the regional body for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Blazer then handed evidence to FIFA which began an inquiry which initially suspended Warner. The case against him was dropped when he resigned all his posts in the game.

The Daily Telegraph in London last week published a video of Warner explaining the payments to Caribbean officials and Warner.

The Trinidad Guardian cited Warner as saying he would reveal gifts that current FIFA president Sepp Blatter made in his election campaigns.

Warner also said he was unhappy with the way he had been treated by FIFA since his resignation.

"FIFA has tried to muzzle me with threats of a worldwide suspension. They have said that they will close down the FIFA Development Office in Trinidad by year end.