CIFA plans open review of ‘Goal’ project
CIFA pitch during construction
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Football Association, which remains embroiled in the wider international football scandal, has announced plans to convene a panel to review donations that it received for Goal, a grassroots project funded by FIFA. CIFA has received almost US$2 million from the global association and questions have been asked about where the cash has gone.
In the wake of the arrest of former CIFA president, Jeffrey Webb, in May and his subsequent conviction for corruption related offences, as well as the recent irregularities flagged by CIFA’s auditors, the current president, Bruce Blake, is promising an independent report.
In a press release Wednesday, Blake said that CIFA will ask the sports ministry to appoint two independent members to the panel to conduct the review, the Office of the Auditor General to appoint one, the CIFA membership to appoint two, CIFA sponsors to appoint two and the CIFA Executive Committee to appoint two people to scrutinize the donations and spending regarding Goal.
“In order to answer all questions and address all concerns in a open and transparent manner, the CIFA Executive Committee has resolved to appoint an Independent Committee to review all aspects of the FIFA Goal Project, from inception to present, and provide an independent report to the general public,” Blake said, adding that he hoped the committee would convene in early January and provide the report as soon as possible.
The government has been pressing CIFA to undertake a forensic audit and to clean-house since the sports minister withdrew its annual government grant of more than $120k because of the local issues surrounding CIFA’s financial management and the connections to the global FIFA scandal.
Webb, who was formally removed as the local president following his recent guilty plea, has admitted taking millions in kickbacks relating to CONCACAF tournaments, as well as money destined for aid and development in Haiti. However, there is also considerable speculation that the one-time local football hero and others in the CIFA management may have also misused the Goal Project money, which was meant for the development of new pitches in Cayman but does not seem to have gone where it was meant to.
Questions about that money were also asked in a recent BBC Panorama documentary about FIFA by reporter Andrew Jennings, who has been documenting FIFA scandals for more than a decade (see http://youtu.be/OUpNw0z7Eb0).
Meanwhile, as the United States and Swiss authorities continuing rounding up football officials and sports executives in what has emerged as the largest corruption scandal the world has ever witnessed, Jeffrey Webb, who has reportedly given up a number of others in order to mitigate his own circumstances, is scheduled to be sentenced next June.
Webb has also been charged here in Cayman in connection with the local hospital corruption scandal. However, he has not yet answered those charges as it ismore than two years since he was last in the Cayman Islands.
Category: Courts, Crime, Local News
Blatter-voting junket-monkeys should not get to determine the scope of the investigations.
And there should be some aggressive forensic accounting to see how far up the chain the money went.
High up. Very high up. Or low down. Very low down. Depending on whether you are assessing position by self-regard or talent.
This seems like more evidence of CIFA board members desperately trying to hold onto power. Why not just appoint allow CIG to appoint a firm of forensic accountants to conduct a review of the affairs of CIFA? That would be much simpler than this CIFA proposal. What possible reason would members of CIFA have to not want to be shown to have all acted with complete propriety by an independent review?
CIFA should invite an independent committee to do a full audit, however they should have no saying as to how the body is formed or this will be another case of FIFA or any other national association investigating themselves as they have been doing for decades.
I understand the office of the AG has refused the invitation. Common sense I say. Who wants to give legitimacy to so such mockery? However, I also understand the minister stated he was looking forward to the findings of the committee, I guess this means he is allowing his ministry to participate in the “process”. It appears the minister has a very short memory and quickly forgot what he is dealing with here. It is 20 years of misappropriation, please demand change.
Just a remainder to travelers to the U.S. – dont tell Customs or Immigration that you have anything to do with FIFA or CIFA and you will certainly be detained if you mention that you know Jeff Webb…
Thanks for the heads up, sportsfan. I will indeed, particularly as a Muslim, avoid mentioning anything.
As a black Mexican Muslim who enjoys the occasional game of football, I’ll be staying well away from ‘Murica for a while.
What does a gay black Mexican Muslim who enjoys the occasional game of football say apart from they like balls?
Doesn’t sound very independent or very thorough. What is needed is a FULL review of the finances by a properly qualified and independent party like a forensic auditor. Anything less than that is a smokescreen.
I’ll do it for $100,000, if I have to.
I’ll do it for whatever it costs to fix my 911.
Goodbye ex UDP politician lol
Well doggone! Are all these investigations made up of UDP members and Jacan descendants? Have to wonder about so many things
About time, I’ve been posting questions on here about where all money this has been going ever since this story started. Two simple questions –
1. Where did all the money for the Centre of Excellence go?
2. Why was so much money spent in 2007/8 to upgrade local pitches to FIFA Two Star status when they get less use than a local club field in the UK and who got the money?
So CIFA and their mates appoint six so called independent members and other appoint three members of an ‘independent committee’ . Beam me up Scotty.
The board must all resign
How about a full forensic audit of CIFA’s account over the last 20 years?
Everybody on the Executive Committee associated with the Jeff Webb’s tenure as President needs to resign from CIFA starting with Bruce Blake. Then a full investigation into their accounts and business interests and all financial transactions with CIFA over the past two decades must be investigated.
The very first order of business should the resignation of the current CIFA Executive Committee, after 20 years of mismanagement by JW they do not have the moral authority to carry out an independent inquiry now that horse is way out of the gate and locked up in NYC by the U.S authorities. A new executive committee must be elected to conduct a forensic audit and those guilty of misappropriation and corruption must be charged and funds returned to football. I hope no one allows themselves to be used by CIFA trying to buy more time.
Bean Counter, c’mon, it’s Christmas mon. Document shredding be done by end January!! Den unna comey looky looky all ya like.