Since May, the U.S. federal prosecutors have disclosed several invesigations of corruption by officials and partners related to FIFA, leading to the arrest of very important names from the confederations of CONCACAF, CAF, and CONMEBOL.
The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football was heavily investigated due to bribery charges after receiving money from media rights holder Traffic Sports, and for allegedly receiving money in exchange for votes in the 2018, 2022 FIFA World Cup bids. Chuck Blazer, former General Secretary of CONCACAF, was working also as an inside informer about the negotiations that were taking place during the years he was there.
All these investigations led to the arrests of several FIFA, CONMEBOL and CONCACAF executives, and also to the resigning of Sepp Blatter. But let’s focus on what happened in the North American region and how this big prosecution will probably lead to the return of a Mexican executive to the Presidency of CONCACAF.
But first, a little history lesson. Twenty six years ago, in 1989, Joaquín Soria Terrazas, the last Mexican officer to be president of CONCACAF, was finishing his tenure. He had lost his bid for re-election against a young and ambitious Trinitarian named Jack Warner, who was very well managed by an American administrator named Chuck Blazer — yes, the FBI’s whistleblower.
These two men imposed on CONCACAF what can be described as a personal empire in which the Caribbean teams were highly benefited and teams like USA or Mexico, well, not so much. During this period, in fact, El Tri saw some of their darkest moments and was very limited by the confederation.
After winning the favour of the Caribbean federations, Jack Warner spent more than 20 years as the head of CONCACAF. He held media rights for pretty much everything in his home country, Trinidad and Tobago, and made shady businesses to attribute the rights in other Caribbean countries to a company owned by his son.
The scheme was discovered in 2011 and caused his suspension from CONCACAF presidency. His puppet, Lisle Austin became President but under heavy pressure from Mexico and USA, couldn’t hold office for more than five days and was replaced by Honduran Alfredo Hawit.
In his first tenure, Hawit, former President of Honduran Football Association, lasted less than a year, but his name became very important later on. In the meantime, Jeffrey Webb was unanimously voted president in May 2012.
The Cayman Islands-native led Concacaf for the next three years. The story was pretty much the same: many shady business happened in the area.
After a report filed by attorney Michael García with allegations of corruption in world association football, Jeffery Webb was also arrested for corruption charges, racketeering, money laundering and fraud.
Alfredo Hawit had to take charge again, making him the fourth President after Jack Warner’s suspension. And he was arrested with similar charges as his predecessors, leaving CONCACAF without a president again in December 2015.
The next man up should have been Mexican executive and Vice-president Justino Compeán, yet after the long parade of corrupt officers, the confederation made the decision in to avoid a new temporary President and wait for next election period in May 2016.
Here’s where we are now. Concacaf is being ruled by the executive committee, leaded by Justino Compeán. Next to him will be Horace Burrell (vice president, suspended in 2011 because of, you guessed, corruption charges).
This represents Mexico’s biggest chance to take back the leading position in CONCACAF. Compeán is the main character capable to win the election. Next in line would be Burrell but he already had an investigation in 2011, and the representative from US Soccer, Sunil Gulati, is far behind.
Everyone has their eyes now on the prize. Leading CONCACAF allows to make important decisions for the future of soccer in the area and the most interested to have this opportunity are USA and Mexico.
From one of these countries will come next president. Everything suggests Justino Compeán will be the new leader of the federation. The Mexican already declared he is running for presidency, but he had an important meeting with Femexfut officers and club owners from Liga MX. The main topic: how will they approach next election period and how to recover control of the area. Something they haven’t had in more than a quarter of a century.
Compeán is already talking to the first people that would vote for him. With a long successful tenure in Femexfut, and with Decio de Maria as his successor, he can almost count on that vote..
Also Femexfut approach to recent events suggest they are trying to win USA’s vote in the next election period, working together with US Soccer and supporting them through the period in which Copa América Centenario was doubtful could become a great bargain chip in the close future.
The situation is not quite the same with countries from Central America and the Caribbean though. The relationship between Mexico and them has never been the best. But if there is something Compeán is great at, that is negotiation, and he is probably already trying to find the way to earn their votes.
As for now we will have to wait, but the future of concacaf now looks green, white and red.
