Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Videos
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obits
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • Videos
  • Career & Education
  • Classifieds
  • All Woman
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Design Week
CONCACAF details rebuilding plans after FIFA bribery scandal
News
July 5, 2015

CONCACAF details rebuilding plans after FIFA bribery scandal

GENEVA (AP) — Plunged into crisis by a second FIFA bribery scandal in four years, the CONCACAF soccer body wants to pass sweeping new leadership rules to help rebuild.

The North and Central American and Caribbean governing body published anti-corruption proposals Monday after its past two presidents and general secretaries were implicated in an American federal investigation of racketeering in international soccer.

CONCACAF’s president since 2012, Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, and an executive committee colleague Eduardo Li of Costa Rica are fighting extradition to the United States from prison cells in Zurich where they were arrested in May.

Its top administrator, Enrique Sanz, is suspended from all soccer duty by FIFA and CONCACAF after being linked to arranging bribes for Webb from the rights-holding sports marketing agency where he used to work.

“From a crisis standpoint, this is a pretty big crisis,” CONCACAF legal adviser Sam Gandhi told The Associated Press. “We have to solve our own problems and we need to show we are a leader.”

The reform proposals include: Imposing term limits on CONCACAF presidents and executive committee members; appointing independent outsiders to the policy-making executive panel executive committee; publishing salaries and expenses of top officials.

“The whole world has acknowledged that independent board members are important to avoid conflicts of interest,” Gandhi said of an idea FIFA refused to enact in its own reform process two years ago.

CONCACAF also wants to run background checks on potential commercial partners, hire a compliance officer and run a whistleblower hotline.

The detailed plans for “systemic organizational change” were published Monday, one day before CONCACAF’s Gold Cup tournament kicks off in the United States.

“We are going to be able to put on a great event and going to be able to pay prize money,” Gandhi, a partner with law firm Sidley Austin, said in a telephone interview. “We have had no restrictions on our operations.”

Still, CONCACAF’s marquee competition was named in a stunning 164-page indictment published in May by the US Department of Justice. It alleged widespread corruption over 24 years in the award of broadcast rights for international soccer events.

Gold Cup rights through 2021 are held by the Traffic Sports USA Inc agency, whose president Aaron Davidson is one of 14 soccer and marketing officials named in the indictment. The company has made a guilty plea to wire fraud conspiracy.

Webb and Li are also among those 14 indicted in the widening American federal investigation, as was former CONCACAF president Jack Warner, a long-time FIFA vice president, who is resisting extradition from his native Trinidad and Tobago. Two of Warner’s sons already made guilty pleas.

Warner’s former right-hand man at CONCACAF, American Chuck Blazer also had his guilty plea unsealed in May.

Between them, they ran CONCACAF for more than two decades until Blazer turned whistleblower in 2011 to implicate Warner and then-FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar in a vote-buying plot.

CONCACAF’s reputation was battered and within a year Webb was elected and Sanz hired on a joint pledge to clean house and restore its standing.

Instead, American federal agencies allege that Webb was already seeking and getting bribes from Sanz’s former employer Traffic Sports.

Monday’s reform document was accepted Saturday at a CONCACAF executive meeting after being drafted by Gandhi and an emergency panel formed by the leaders of the Canada, Mexico and US soccer federations.

Changes must be approved at a congress of the full 41-nation CONCACAF membership, likely within a year.

“We and, more importantly, the ExCo (executive committee) realize we need to do the right thing to right the ship otherwise there will not be a confederation,” Gandhi said.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Latest News, News, Videos
WATCH: Scores bid farewell to late JLP youth leader, Imru Khouri
June 21, 2026
ST CATHERNE, Jamaica – Members of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), including Cabinet ministers and young professionals, gathered at the Portmore New Te...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Belgium held 0-0 by Iran as Ngoy sent off
Football, Latest News, Sports, ...
Belgium held 0-0 by Iran as Ngoy sent off
June 21, 2026
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) —Belgium were held to a scoreless draw by Iran in a frustrating encounter Sunday that saw the Red Devils reduced to 1...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
‘Toy Story 5’ rakes in $160 mn in year’s best opening weekend
Entertainment, Latest News
‘Toy Story 5’ rakes in $160 mn in year’s best opening weekend
June 21, 2026
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Disney's "Toy Story 5" romped to the best opening weekend of the year, raking in $160 million in North America, ind...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
MP Jess urges immediate action for courts, slams TCN migrant agreement
Latest News, News
MP Jess urges immediate action for courts, slams TCN migrant agreement
June 21, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth North East, Zuleika Jess says the government needs to address issues affecting non-functiona...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Nayoka Clunis wins sixth hammer throw national title
Latest News, Sports
Nayoka Clunis wins sixth hammer throw national title
June 21, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica —   Nayoka Clunis claimed a sixth women’s hammer throw national title Sunday, topping the field at the JAAA National Championships a...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Leading Cuba dissident denounces ‘violence’ during detention
Latest News, Regional
Leading Cuba dissident denounces ‘violence’ during detention
June 21, 2026
HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — A leading Cuban dissident said Sunday he was detained by security police and roughed up for calling for anti-government protests ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Miss Universe Jamaica parish crownings set for Mandeville
Entertainment, Latest News
Miss Universe Jamaica parish crownings set for Mandeville
June 21, 2026
MANCHESTER, Jamaica — An evening of elegance, aspiration, and pageantry is set to unfold as the Miss Universe Jamaica (MUJ) Clarendon, Manchester & St...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Brianna Lyston wins 100m in Holland
Latest News, Sports
Brianna Lyston wins 100m in Holland
June 21, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaica’s Brianna Lyston clocked  10.99 seconds (-0.6m/s) to win the women’s 100m at Sunday’s FannyBlankers-Koen (FBK) Games in Hen...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct