FIFA scrutiny of CIFA underway
CIFA headquarters, Grand Cayman
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Football Association expects FIFA-appointed auditors to complete a forensic review of its books within the next six weeks. After the former president of CIFA, Jeffrey Webb, admitted to racketeering charges in the US and after revelations that CIFA cash may have been involved in the corrupt hospital CarePay contract, Acting President Bruce Blake said he had contacted FIFA to conduct a review of the local association’s records.
As well as getting FIFA officials to examine the books, Blake said he had asked for assistance in recovering funds diverted from CIFA accounts. During the recent trial of Canover Watson in the CarePay corruption case, it was revealed that Black Holdings Ltd, a company owned by CIFA Vice President Peter Campbell, had received some $250,000 from CIFA in a transfer of cash that involved AIS Cayman Ltd, the company owned and created by Watson and Webb that they used to secure the contract with the hospital.
While FIFA and CONCACAF are currently undergoing leadership and other major changes, with the notable exceptions of Canover Watson and Jeffrey Webb, many of the “old guard” remain in charge at CIFA, much to the concern of Sports minister Osbourne Bodden and many people involved in local football.
One leading private sector auditor in the Cayman Islands has described FIFA examining CIFA as “poacher turned gamekeeper”, given the global organisation’s own failings.
While Blake promised last December that there would be some kind of independent forensic audit (a condition imposed by Minister Bodden before CIFA gets its annual government grant of $120,000 back), there have been no further details about that review committee from Blake. However, FIFA’s lawyers and a forensic IT consultant have already paid a visit to Cayman, and in a press release Tuesday, the executive said they had “spent the better part of the past two weeks” at the CIFA offices in Prospect.
“CIFA is assisting FIFA with its review and investigation and have provided its agents full access to CIFA’s books and records,” the release said. “This was followed by a meeting of CIFA officials and FIFA officials in Zürich last week Thursday to discuss the next steps. A visit by FIFA appointed auditors is expected within the next six weeks to conduct a forensic review of CIFA financial transactions and review its new policies and procedures and to make recommendations.”
According to the CIFA release, FIFA and its attorneys “have expressed appreciation to CIFA for its cooperation and have acknowledged CIFA’s significant administrative and financial control improvements” since the new executive took office in August of 2015, the officials claimed.
Category: Local News
Getting the money back from that company should be easy – isn’t Campbell still in the organization?
Auditors appointed by FIFA? That’ll be fine then … not
Everyone connected with FIFA – absolutely everyone – should be assumed to be bent. Football is corrupt from the top to the bottom and has been for decades.
Dead right. The phrase ‘FIFA-appointed auditors’ tells you exactly where this is going. There’s a lot of public money involved here and FIFA should stand back and let the authorities in the Cayman Islands deal with this.
The normalization of corruption and corrupt officials is endemic in Cayman. We like nothing more than a good cover up else we would be on the streets protesting. Oh wait we can’t do that either as our careers would be dead in the water.
LMAO! This is like Dart auditing one of his jewelry stores.
Bruce Blake is doing a Blatter on us. According to Cayman 27 he will not stand for elections in a couple of months. However, the Honorable thing would be to leave now.
You might be misinformed here. I understand Bruce Blake is not standing for the president position, however he intends to remain in his current position of VP along with Peter Campbell and the remaining current members. The plan would be to have a puppet
president that still would be controlled by JW, CW, PC and BB, in other words not change at all.
Lets hope the the member clubs can finally see the light and realized that is the worst possible outcome and demand complete election. FIFA has promised around $6.5 million every world cup cycle. Can the current CIFA be trusted with this funds?
This is akin of asking the Carlone family to do an audit of the Gotti family,seriously?
As stated in the story a current VP of CIFA misteriouly deposit $250K in Jebb Webb account and as of this day CIFA has done nothing. Bruce Blake the acting president of CIFA acknowledge signing for two loans turned gifts and CIFA has done nothing.
Watched this space for CIFA announcement of FIFA giving them and clear sign, it is happening all over the world. The new president of FIFA is offering $5million plus another $1.5 million for travel. The current CIFA exco has a lot of experience in “handling” these funds. They are not going to do the right thing easily.
FIFA auditing CIFA. Holy f*ck I think I just pulled a groin laughing too hard. ???
You really can’t make this sh*t up. Bruce how ignorant do you think the people are. Resign your an embarrassment to football, Cayman and quite frankly yourself!
Sounds like the blind leading the blind!
I am so tired of hearing about CIFA, FIFA, Tempura, and Bridger…
Oh sorry I forgot – add Mckeeva to my list of undesirable topics too…
Is the audit being done by FIFA appointed auditors, or FIFA officials? That’s the difference between an independent review and a whitewash. I expect we will get a whitewash. After all they are only following the example of the CIG.
I assume FIFA’s attorneys and IT consultants flew in on a private jet, spent the better part of two weeks at the Ritz enjoying all Cayman has to offer. Move along, nothing to see here. Par for the course.
Had a disciplinary meeting with Bruce Blake and other officials from the Disciplinary Committee. How can they (Bruce in particular) be overseeing this committee when he/themselves are not discipline leaders of football. Get out now! Stop embarrassing Cayman and give our youths back what they deserve. They don’t even go to watch local football, but can make it to these big tournaments and live this lavish lifestyle. Probably haven’t even kicked a football in your entire life! #hatemenow #BTFC
Bruce played as a center back for Yobbo Rangers in the early to mid 90’s
OMG….
FIFA coming in to Enron the CIFA books….(cough)
I would suspect FIFA will appoint an accounting firm to do the actual investigation. Note the reference to “FIFA appointed auditors”. That being said I would hope it’s not FIFA s existing and former auditors – they didn’t exactly do a great job of detecting FIFA own problems, quite apart from their cosy relationship with FIFA.
This pronouncement is nothing short of astonishing. The public have to date been informed by Blake that an Audit and Compliance Committee would be set up by CIFA, that the audit for 2014 would be completed, and that a Joint Investigation Committee would be set up with Government. None of these things took place. It is March 2016 and the Executive Committee has produced no accounts for 2015 and have proffered no explanation. Their website has been down for months and the public treated like mushrooms. They are kept in the dark and fed bullshit.
CIFA has been intrinsically linked with the AIS fraud whilst money has been misappropriated by members of the Executive Committee. CIFA has taken no steps to recover these monies whilst they, at the same time may be responsible for misappropriated monies from third parties.
Meanwhile Blake returns from partying in Switzerland whilst Webb parties in Atlanta.
What is not required is a visit of FIFA appointed auditors, who will require work permits, to come to Cayman. FIFA is obviously tainted and hardly independent. What is required is a totally new Executive Committee to take control of CIFA and clean out the stable which is by now so full of bullshit that the door cannot be closed.
Apologies if I missed anything.
You missed one important thing. The purpose of this process is to have everything swept under the carpet. He who pays the piper calls the tune, and the payors in this case have millions of reason to keep any review process under control.
Chris Johnson… you have a very intelligent argument about a number of CIFA issues… CNS tends to write very harsh headlines about this issue… (albeit neither is unwarranted)… can the two of you with the same venom address the CPA… And I mean on a weekly basis like you do with the CIFA issues. I agree the CIFA issues are extremely unpleasant for local sports, but I think there are other issues that CNS (which is very popular), could focus on…
If you’re going to continue with the attacks on FIFA/CIFA, CNS and Chris Johnson, could you two please also address the “vote that didn’t go down” last May when Webb was arrested. CNS, it would be great if you really delved into that story. Everyone seems to care about the money, and no media in Cayman or the west has covered the murders that were taking place and could have been addressed during the same FIFA congress that took down Webb and the others. If this comment doesn’t seem to make sense to you, please google FIFA vote to oust Israel, vote May 2015.
I will do an interesting article on CPA shortly where they ignored all the setback provisions on the new building under contruction opposite the old Norberg Thompson bakery that adjoins the fish market. It is typical that some people just want to make money whilst others want to beautify Cayman as best they can. Despite the matter being under appeal the Thompsons continue to build. Let us hope the appeals tribunal turn it down.
Clearly my son’s idea of a boardwalk stands no chance largely because of inherent greed of the landowners who have mostly inherited their seaside properties.
Time to change the CPA board who have nothing but vested interests. The board needs people of independent mind with no conflicts and the answer lies with our government.
Non Illegitimae Carborundum.
If that’s a “boardwalk”, CIFA is as clean as a whistle.
Well at least the Thompsons don’t have any influence on the committee. Surely someone should write to the Chairman to complain. Who is the Chairman?
Al T . No conflict there!
No Chris, too much bull manure. You of all people should know how it go. Good post.
Great. Because FIFA has a great reputation when it comes to corruption and there is no-one in FIFA with an interest in payments being covered up. No sir.
The entire CIFA board need to step down now
More posturing and BS from Bruce Blake and his crew at CIFA. Please do Cayman and football a favor resign now. Everything Blake has said has been rubbish he’s a puppet for Jeff Webb plain and simple “always was and always will be.”
If the “old guard” had any ounce of integrity and honesty in them, let alone humility, they would have bowed out with grace, to give the organization a fresh start. Instead, they are sticking around, hoping to get re-elected but should be forced out. All of these guys were around the then president when those transactions were taking place. Why are they still there? Including Bruce Blake!! Please do not tell me that none of you knew what was going on. Shameful!!
As for Bruce, he hasn’t shown an ounce of leadership in this whole mess, but trying to look busy like a chicken scratching for worms. That audit should have been commissioned a long time ago and local activities suspended until the results came out. Its of no difference because they are currently ineffective as it stands. How do we know if all records and contracts are locked away? The same old crew in there might be sticking around to manipulate what they can. This whole thing is a shame and disgrace. The Cayman Islands should not settle for anything less, than removing all the current members and starting over fresh.
That first sentence is one of the funniest I have read on CNS for years.