CONCACAF chaos after attempt to fire Blazer

CONCACAF reacted swiftly after its acting president, Lisle Austin, tried to fire FIFA whistleblower Chuck Blazer, saying the interim chief did not have the authority to make such a move.

According to CONCACAF statutes, it is the executive committee that has jurisdiction over Blazer, general secretary of the federation, that represents North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Not only has the executive committee taken no action, but a majority of committee members have told Lisle Austin he lacked the authority to fire Blazer, according to a statement on the CONCACAF website.

Earlier yesterday, a CONCACAF release had confirmed that a dismissal letter had been sent to Blazer's hotel in Zurich just after midnight, informing him that he had been sacked.

The release said embattled FIFA president Joseph Sepp Blatter and general secretary Jerome Valcke had been informed of the decision to terminate Blazer's services.

According to the release, Barbadian Austin said it was "the dawn of a new era in CONCACAF and the confederation cannot afford to be further dragged through the mud by its detractors".

healing wounds

He added that it was also time to "heal the wounds inflicted upon the confederation" and "rebuild and strengthen friendships that once had made them one".

Austin, a senior CONCACAF vice-president, took over the top post in the confederation on Monday, after Jack Warner was temporarily suspended by FIFA ethics committee pending an investigation into bribery allegations.

He immediately called on Blazer to explain why he chose to investigate members of the continental governing body for misconduct and who authorised him to hire the US-based law firm of Collins and Collins to carry out these investigations.

Yesterday, Blazer rejected Austin's calls, contending the authority fell within his purview.

It was announced last Wednesday that Blazer, a FIFA Executive Committee member, had sent a report to Valcke indicating "possible violations of the FIFA Code of Ethics" allegedly committed by Warner and Bin Hammam, coming out of a meeting in Trinidad and Tobago earlier this month.

This triggered Warner and Bin Hammam's appearance before FIFA's ethics committee, who ruled Sunday there was enough evidence to warrant an investigation.