Caribbean Football Union corruption scandal
| Date | 10–11 May 2011 |
|---|---|
| Location | Port-of-Spain, Trinidad |
| Participants |
Jack Warner Mohammed bin Hammam Members of CFU |
| Outcome | Resignation of Jack Warner Suspension of Mohammad Bin Hammamofficials |
The Caribbean Football Union corruption scandal involved attempted bribery used to win the votes of national football associations from the Caribbean Football Union in the 2011 FIFA presidential election.
The bribes were offered on 20 May 2011, at a meeting of the CFU, held in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. The meeting had been arranged so that the president of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohammed Bin Hammam, could address representatives of the CFU, in an attempt to persuade them to vote for him in the upcoming FIFA presidential elections. As it was a meeting for the Caribbean Football Union, the CONCACAF members from Central America (UNCAF) and North America (NAFU) were not present.
The vice president of the Bahamas Football Association, Fred Lunn, reported that while attending the meeting, he had been given a brown envelope containing US$40,000, in exchange for which he was expected to vote for Bin Hammam. During the subsequent investigations, the CONCACAF president Jack Warner and various CFU officials were also implicated in the bribery. Both Warner and Bin Hammam denied any involvement.
The incident resulted in Bin Hammam's suspension and Warner's resignation, as well as the suspension of over 30 CFU vice-presidents and staff, and the investigation of over 30 national football association officials.
It was a sensitive time for FIFA, who had been criticised in the European press for their handling of corruption accusations, which extended to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. The Nigeria Football Federation and West African Football Union leader Amos Adamu and the Oceania Football Confederation and Tahitian Football Federation President Reynald Temarii had been banned from football for requesting payments in kind in the run-up to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting bid vote. A BBC episode of Panorama had been featured showing various FIFA officials refusing to answer to allegations. There were also suspicions that Qatar (Bin Hammam's nation) had won the rights to the host the 2022 World Cup by bribing FIFA Executive Officers.
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