The Manicou Report

Jack Warner

On Wednesday Jack Warner was cleared by FIFA. In September word got to FIFA that Jack had been a bad boy seeing that tickets that he owned were sold from Simpaul Travel (a company owned by the Warner family) for 400 times their face value. One reports alleges that he and son Daryan made a profit of at least £500,000 on 5,400 tickets for England, Mexico and Japan matches. Having had his name being shown in a bad light, Warner referred himself to FIFA’s ethics committee asking for guidance on whether he was guilty of a conflict of interest.

On Wednesday FIFA cleared Warner and recommended that no action be taken against him for the sale.

Marcel Mathier, who headed the committee’s examination, said there was no evidence that Warner infringed FIFA rules during the 2006 tournament.

“It could not be evidenced that Mr Jack Warner had knowledge of the resale of these tickets at a higher price,” Mathier said.

“The resale is certainly forbidden, but the person who did the reselling is not subject to the Fifa jurisdiction, because it is the son of Jack Warner.”

Mathier said Fifa was unable to sanction Warner’s son Daryan because he was not directly employed by FIFA.

Mathier did recommended however that Warner be scolded.

Well that’s not only a technicality, but also a giant loophole that FIFA needs to mend. If it were that Jack Warner had directed his son to sell the tickets it would be near impossible for any proof to be collected short of bugging phones and sitting in on quiet time with dear old dad.

Jack Warner being cleared on these charges not only highlights FIFA’s condemnations as being capricious,( see Ismail Bhamjee story), but shows that there are loopholes through which tickets could scalped.

So what’s stopping any other member of FIFA from selling tickets on the black market through family members whose wheelings and dealings they have “no knowledge of”?

FIFA president Sepp Blatter declared the matter now closed and stated,

“The executive committee have expressed their disapproval over the conduct of Mr Warner. This disapproval of the conduct of the vice-president draws his attention to the fact that he should be more prudent and cautious when it comes to ticketing and should also oversee the activities of his son a little more.”

Of course Jack Warner talking like a man who didn’t just dodge a bullet said:

I have been vindicated today by the Fifa Executive Committee as I had always expected for, as I have said from the inception, that I had committed no offence,” he said.

“I am happy that my record-making 24 consecutive years in the Fifa Executive Committee today remains unblemished.

“I know that, especially in my country, there will be those who will be disappointed with the results of the Fifa investigation and its decision and will no doubt make other attempts to tarnish my character and good name.

“This is indeed very unfortunate but I promise to be forever vigilant in the struggle against personal, vindictive and political attacks against me being confident that, in the end, good shall always over come evil.

“I wish to thank all those persons and organizations who, over the past months, have kept faith in my integrity and I refer here especially to my family, my staff, my friends both at home and abroad and to my political party the United National Congress,”

In my book an acquital due to a lack of evidence is hardly a “vindication”. And his “24 consecutive years in the Fifa Executive” is hardly “unblemished”. You might as well suggest that Abu Bakr is a good man.

And as easy as that Warner and his spawn have made a cool £500,000 thanks to the giant loophole that was begging to be exploited. Although it was called illegal, inappropriate (and a whole host of other opposites) there’s no amends, there’s no giving the money back, there’s no formal apology. But you go to Hilo and tief a bread and see what happen to you. See if you’ll be let off with a scolding.