In an historic about-turn FIFA President Sepp Blatter has ordered an investigation into ballot rigging that could lead to some of his closest allies being banned from world football for life.
Last year Sportsmail revealed how FIFA vice-president Jack Warner from Trinidad had presided over incidents at two FIFA congresses where absent delegates were impersonated at the ballot box by his associates. On the second occasion the extra vote helped Blatter win power. Repeatedly Blatter refused to acknowledge any corruption. But when challenged again by Sportsmail this week he admitted, in an emotional outburst, that "mistakes had been made and now I will take action."
Sportsmail's dossier will be handed over to the FIFA discipline committee "as soon as possible." A Blatter spokesman confirmed later that Blatter will request the committee, at its next meeting in March, to begin an investigation.
After a long investigation published last April Sportsmail revealed, with the help of video tapes and internal FIFA documents, how delegates from the Caribbean had conspired to steal votes.
Sportsmail travelled to Haiti and secured an exclusive interview with the former head of the national football association, Dr Jean-Marie Kyss. He disclosed that he had been unable to make the trip to the FIFA congress in Zurich in 1996. He said: "I phoned CONCACAF (the Caribbean and North America soccer confederation presided over by Warner) and Zurich and told them I was unable to attend."
Dr Kyss thought that was the end of the matter. But FIFA records obtained by Sportsmail revealed that a delegate by the name of Vincy Jalal had voted as Haiti's representative. Further inquiries disclosed that this was the girlfriend of Horace Burrell, president of the Jamaican association.
The scam amused many delegates from the region who ever since have referred to Ms Jalal as "Ms Oui" because that was the word she had been coached to utter when French-speaking Haiti's name was announced at the roll-call of delegates.
Despite repeated inquiries by Sportsmail, Burrell, Ms Jalal, Warner and his CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer, also a member of FIFA's Executive Committee, have declined to give any comment.
A personal assistant pretended to be from Haiti
A Haitian delegation was also absent from the next FIFA congress in Paris in 1998 where Blatter beat the UEFA candidate Lennart Johansson to take the presidency.
Dr Kyss explained that at the time a Government minister was trying to seize the national stadium in the capital, Port au Prince - and was prepared to use any means to pressurise the association to capitulate. "When I got to the airport with my wife I was told that I was not permitted to leave the country," he said. "I asked, 'have I committed any crime?' They said it was the order of the Secretary of Sport and took my passport away."
From the airport Dr Kyss called officials of CONCACAF, already gathered in Paris. "I spoke to secretary Chuck Blazer and president Jack Warner. I explained to Mr Warner what had happened and told him that Haiti would not be represented at the FIFA congress. "FIFA's rules do not allow proxy voting - but I did not want to mandate anyone to sit in our seat in Paris. That empty chair symbolised the interference of our government in our sport. It was our gesture of defiance. It sent a powerful message to the world."
Dr Kyss was shocked to learn from Sportsmail that his gesture and his vote had been stolen. FIFA's records show that a Mr Neville Ferguson represented Haiti. Ferguson, like Ms Jalal, is not from Haiti. He is a citizen of Trinidad - and personal assistant to Jack Warner.
Sportsmail acquired a copy of the official videotape of the congress which showed Ferguson pretending to be from Haiti, collecting his ballot paper from the scrutineers and going into a booth to cast Haiti's vote. After our disclosures this tape, and our taped interview with Dr Kyss, were transmitted world-wide.
FIFA's vice president is under threat
Warner's future in world football must now be under threat. It is inconceivable that a lowly official like Ferguson would have impersonated the Haitian delegate without Warner knowing. Indeed it is easy to believe that Warner, who had pledged his support to Blatter, told Ferguson to break the rules.
Blatter now has the chance to get rid of Warner, notorious for diverting FIFA business to himself and his family. The same fate must apply to Blazer who was told by Dr Kyss that Haiti's seat in Paris would be vacant. It is difficult to accept that Blazer, like Warner, failed to notice Haiti's vote being abused.
Blatter denies that he had any knowledge of the vote rigging. If he keeps his word and if the chairman of FIFA's Discipline Committee, his longterm friend, Swiss lawyer Marcel Mathier, carries out a rigorous investigation, the clear-out at FIFA could be sensational.
Blatter also announced that Jamaica's Horal Burrell, a member of the discipline committee, will be forbidden to participate. So gross were the offences and so publicly perpetrated that heads should roll at all levels. Delegations at FIFA congresses are seated in alphabetical order so Warner's allies from Guyana, Honduras and Jamaica could not have been unaware of the fraud.
If Blatter is serious in his claim that he intends to clean up FIFA, he has made the right start. But only when heads are seen to roll can world football be confident that FIFA's shabby, often corrupt ways, are coming to an end.
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