Divisions Deep After FIFA Vote

(ATR/WFI) FIFA whistleblower Chuck Blazersays his job is safe as CONCACAF general secretary, launchingan attack on the confederation's acting president Lisle Austin. Austin attempted to fire Blazer hours during the FIFA Congress.

"I still have my job, very much so," Blazer told INSIDER shortly after Sepp Blatter's re-election as FIFA president in Zurich.

"There is no problem," he said when asked why acting CONCACAF president Lisle Austin was claiming from his Barbados base that he had axed Blazer while the confederation's New York head was firmly disputing the claims.

"The majority of the executive committee has said very clearly that I have a job and they are the only ones who can control it," Blazer, a FIFA Ex-Co member since 1996 told INSIDER.

Asked about the growing divide at the heart of the confederation, he said: "I have always been comfortable with CONCACAF.

"There's an individual who thinks he has more power than he does."

Austin has twice issued inflamatory statements in the past 24 hours saying he had fired Blazer, who last week made sensational bribery allegations against longtime colleague Jack Warner and former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam. They were accused of offering $40,000 bungs to 25 Caribbean Football Union members in return for votes for Qatari. Both were investigated and suspended from football pending a full inquiry.

Asked by INSIDER if he was happy to see the back of Warner, a former friend and colleague of 21 years, he said: "That is a case under consideration, I can't make any comment."

The escalating row at the heart of CONCACAF turned ugly just hours before Blatter's coronation when Austin, who took control of CONCACAF as a temporary replacement for the Trinidadian, claimed he had sacked Blazer.

A Warner ally, Austin sent a letter to the 66-year-old, accusing him of "inexcusable and a gross misconduct of duty and judgment" in claiming CFU members should be investigated for their part in the bribery scandal.

CONCACAF rushed out a statement within an hour to explain that Blazer's job was not under threat.

The row erupted into farce on Wednesday when Austin issued another statement through Warner's CONCACAF office in Port of Spain insisting Blazer had been sacked and the New York office was sending out unofficial statements.

"This is yet another blatant disregard for process and procedure by the former staff member," Austin said in the statement.

"The response from the CONCACAF Media Department is not only the fruit of illegal actions on the part of Mr Blazer, who is no longer the general secretary of this confederation, but is tantamount to trespassing since, the unauthorised use of CONCACAF's services and equipment by non-CONCACAF staff is unlawful."

Blazer "proud"of FIFA, declines comment on 2022 re-vote

Despite the wave of bribery allegations swirling around FIFA, Blazer later told a group of reporters that he thought Blatter and world football's governing body was weathering the storm.

"I think that FIFA is doing a really excellent job of promoting football around the world," he added.

"If I look back 10 years, 20 years and see the progress we made I am very proud of our accomplishments."

Asked if the 2022 World Cup vote should be re-run following a series of corruption claims levelled at Qatar, he said: "I think that is something that will be dealt with entirely independently and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the matter that I brought up."

Blazer and the USA, a bidder for the 2022 tournament, would stand to benefit from any re-vote. Australia, Japan and Korea were the other candidates in the bid race.

"That is not the issue, that is not my issue," he said before leaving the congress.

World Football INSIDER editor Mark Bisson

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