CONCACAF gives up on idea of president

(CNS): As the third of its presidents in just over three years was forced out of office due to corruption allegations, CONCACAF has given up on the idea of a single leader for the time being and announced plans for what remains of the football confederation’s executive committee to run things until its congress next year. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football said the committee voted unanimously not to appoint a successor following the arrest of Alfredo Hawit in Zürich last Thursday — the latest regional president to fall victim to the international FIFA corruption probe.

As the drama surrounding world football continues to unfold, the regional football executive said that, in light of current events, it was critical that the confederation’s next president would face the scrutiny of public election.

Hawit replaced Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb (51) earlier this year as president of CONCACAF after the Cayman football boss was  arrested in Zürich. Webb, who has now pleaded guilty to racketeering related offences after he was netted in the same corruption probe, had replaced Jack Warner, who was originally ousted from the post as a result of internal corruption allegations by FIFA. Warner has since been indicted in the same investigation. However, the 72-year-old remains in his native Trinidad fighting extradition to the United States.

In the meantime, the current Exco members of CONCACAF, Justino Compean, Horace Burrell, Sunil Gulati, Pedro Chaluja, Luis Hernandez, Victor Montagliani and Sonia Bien-Aime, will oversee CONCACAF’s operations and serve in an advisory capacity to its acting General Secretary, Ted Howard, and director-level staff.

“CONCACAF must maintain stability in the Confederation’s day-to-day operations,” said Compean. “This interim leadership structure demonstrates the EXCO’s unity and allows us to serve our Member Associations with a high level of efficiency, transparency, and accountability.”

CONCACAF Executive Committee Member Captain Horace Burrell added, “It is critical for the Confederation’s future that the next president be elected by the full Congress, rather than statutorily appointed. Under this leadership structure, CONCACAF can ensure there is sufficient time to publicly vet candidates while the Confederation focuses on continued implementation of strong reforms.”