Sunday, October 11, 2009

Warner: What he didn't tell England


Andrew Jennings gets a response from Jack Warner (Image: Transparencyinsport.org)
Chris O'Keefe

Last week, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner said that England's bid to host the World Cup was lightweight and needed figures such as David Beckham and the Queen involved to boost their chances.

Warner, who is believed to control more than a fifth of the votes on FIFA's executive committee also talked about how Australia and Qatar's bid team even handed FIFA delegates goody bags at the airport and the England bid did not do the same. It was Warner's belief that England's bis had fallen behind other European bids from Russia and Spain/Portugal.

This is of course the same Jack Warner that failed to answer questions about his part in the selling of black market tickets during the 2006 World Cup, including tickets destined for England fans. The profit made from those tickets is said to be at least £500,000.

When questioned about this by reporter Andrew Jennings as part of a BBC Panorama investigation, Warner response was: "If I could've spit on you, I would've spat on you!" When asked again Warner replied, "Go ask you mother", to which Jennings confided to Warner that his mother had passed away. Warner simply said: "Go to find her!"

This is also the same Jack Warner who accused Jennings of intimidating him before a meeting in Trinidad. Before the same meeting he told the reporter, "Go fuck yourself!" He labelled Jennings' book about FIFA's dealings under the stewardship of President Sepp Blatter as trash, even though Warner has been fined for his part in the 2006 ticket scam, a fine that Warner is not yet believed to have fully paid.

Find out more about Andrew Jennings' investigations into FIFA's activities at Transparency In Sport.

posted by C O'K @ 1:58 pm 0 comments