Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Jack dismisses "bribery" allegations in UK as nonsense

Jack Warner on Tuesday dismissed as “a piece of nonsense” allegations made in London by former Football Association (FA) chairman Lord Triesman that four Fifa members, including Warner, sought "bribes" in return for backing England's failed 2018 World Cup bid.

Triesman named Warner, Nicolas Leoz, Ricardo Teixeira and Worawi Makudi, during testimony at a British parliamentary inquiry into the governance of football in England and the country's failure to secure the right to host the 2018 World Cup finals.

In his testimony, Triesman claimed that Warner asked for around £2.5m to build an education centre in Trinidad, with the cash to be channelled through him, and later wanted £500,000 to buy Haiti's World Cup TV rights, again to be channelled through him, the BBC reported Tuesday.

Triesman is a former Labour Party politician who quit the FA and the chairmanship of England's bid for the 2018 games after a woman who said she was his mistress reported that Triesman made disparaging remarks to her about football and politics. He quit within days of launching England's bid for the 2018 games alongside football star David Beckham.

Warner is unperturbed about the allegation, which he called nonsense. He told Sky Sports News, "I've never asked Triesman nor any other person, Englishman or otherwise, for any money for my vote at any time."

He added, "In the English campaign, before Triesman was unceremoniously kicked out, I've spoken to him on his initiative on only three occasions, while I've spoken to his other colleagues on other occasions and not one of them will ever corroborated his bit of trivia.

"I have been in Fifa for 29 years and this will astound many, I'm sure, including people like David Dein, (international president of England 2018 bid) and Geoff Thompson (head of England's 2018 bid)."

Triesman admitted to the committee that in hindsight he agrees that his bid team should have reported the matter immediately. However he said the FA chose not to complain at the time for fear of jeopardising England's bid.

England collected only two out of 22 votes in December last year as Russia landed the tournament.

Warner told JYOTI England should be asking why it fared so badly in support from FIFA's 24-member executive, with none of the European members voting for England England, which was booted out in the first round with only two votes.


Warner also wondered why Triesman remained quiet with his allegations and was only making them under the protection of a parliamentary hearing.

Warner added that he did not wish to dignify "that piece of nonsense" and suggested that Triesman is only trying to revive "his dying political career by mentioning that piece of foolishness."

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Jai & Sero

Jai & Sero

Our family at home in Toronto 2008

Our family at home in Toronto 2008
Amit, Heather, Fuzz, Aj, Jiv, Shiva, Rampa, Sero, Jai