[FIFA] Former Concacaf President Jack Warner won’t go quietly into the sunset. Four days after resigning his position asTrinidad & Tobago’s national security minister, he held a bizarre public meeting dubbed “Straight Talk” that attracted thousands of supporters to hear him say he was resigning as amember of parliament for his district of Chaguanas West — but planned to run in the special election to fill his seat. He also insisted Concacaf had it all wrong with its charges he defrauded theorganization of millions of dollars.
On the allegations of massive fraud during his 22-year tenure as Concacaf president, Warner blamed them on a falling out with FIFA president
“Every vicious allegation leveled against me is without basis,” he said of the
The biggest charge was that the $26million Concacaf Centre of Excellence built with Concacaf money and FIFA loans was actually owner by Warner, unbeknownst to Concacaf.
At Thursday’s talk, Warner claimed he was innocent,presenting a letter from from FIFA president Joao Havelange in which Havelange promised to discuss the possibility of gifting the center as a “donation.” And he blameddiscrepancies in the legal documents on the fact that Concacaf was not registered as a foreign corporation in Trinidad & Tobago until 1999.
Warner was greeted with a standing ovationwhen he appeared at the public form.
Warner resigned his minister’s position Sunday night at the request of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessarand blamed his exit on “internal enemies.”
He said none of the allegations against him relate to his tenure in office as a minister.
“I said I would never use politicsto enrich my wealth or fatten my bank accounts,” he said. “And I have kept my word.