Lift the lid on FIFA probe now

Dennie Quill, Gleaner Columnist

The Jamaican public will simply not allow the president of its football federation, Captain Horace Burrell, to accept his six-month ban from FIFA and remain silent about the events which unfolded in Port-of-Spain earlier this year.

Jamaica's reputation has been tarnished, and Caribbean football has been left in disarray after punishment ranging from reprimands to fines and bans were handed out to the game's top administrators last Friday for breaching FIFA's code of ethics in relation to a cash-for-vote scandal.

In a sport often marred by scandals, the stench of corruption surrounding the 2011 presidential campaign made this one of the biggest, since it shook the foundations of FIFA's structure in the Middle East, Europe, North America and the Caribbean.

The reaction by Captain Burrell to his ban by FIFA is startling to some fans of the game, who feel he should be proclaiming his innocence from every treetop.

Cfu presidency in jeopardy

And even though FIFA's Ethics Committee has ruled three months of the JFF president's ban will be deferred for a probationary period of two years, this has to be taken seriously, for it means Burrell cannot participate in any football activities during the ban. His candidacy for the presidency of the Caribbean Football Union will also be in jeopardy.

Burrell said in a statement that last Friday's actions "are harsh and painful for me personally, but I will not appeal the decision, considering the relative levity of the sanction and the cause for which it was handed down."

So what is the "cause" for which Mr Burrell was banned? What ethical sin did he commit to earn his punishment? Is it because he did not cooperate with the Ethics Committee investigations? If he is really serious about the integrity of the game, why would he not face the scrutiny of the Ethics Committee? These are just some of the questions on people's minds.

The allegations are that at a get-together in a hotel room in Port-of-Spain, delegates were handed brown envelopes each stuffed with US$40,000. This was an alleged gift from Qatari presidential hopeful Mohamed bin Hammam.

In a recent interview, bin Hammam told Sky News that gift-giving was a routine practice in FIFA and that exchanging presents with other members of the organisation should not be regarded as attempted bribery. He said he had nothing to do with the cash-filled envelopes that were given away in Trinidad. But if, in fact, money was collected, should it not be returned to FIFA for the organisation to use it in the development of the game.

Wild speculation

Without access to the investigations and in the absence of a fulsome statement from FIFA, there is speculation and conjecture which is not fair to the parties involved. A good attempt has been made to leak some of the information, although it is difficult to verify its authenticity. According to news reports, the investigations found "comprehensive, convincing and overwhelming proof that bribes had been paid to officials in Trinidad" to support the FIFA presidential candidacy of the 62-year-old Qatari.

Jack Warner, a close ally of Burrell and a former FIFA vice-president, resigned after the controversy erupted so that he would avoid scrutiny and sanctions. In the aftermath, there has been an ugly war raging between Warner and FIFA.

However, at the end of the day, if we are to salvage what's left of regional football's reputation, the governments of the Caribbean must move to create a regional mechanism that will guarantee transparency and ethical conduct, both on and off the field.

Dennie Quill is a veteran media practitioner. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and denniequill@hotmail.com.