FIFA scolds VP Warner for ticket scalping

No disciplinary action was taken against Jack Warner, one of FIFA's most senior and controversial figures after being involved in a World Cup ticket scandal.

FIFA's executive committee reprimanded Warner, who is a FIFA vice-president from Trinidad & Tobago, and expressed its disapproval at his behaviour.

Warner was identified in a report by auditors Ernst & Young as having bought World Cup tickets that were then re-sold at up to three times their face value.

A FIFA investigation concluded that Warner's son Daryan was involved in the scandal but that there was no concrete evidence that Warner had an active part in the ticket scalping.

"The executive committee has expressed its disapproval over the conduct of Mr. Warner," said Sepp Blatter, FIFA president.

"This disapproval of the conduct of the vice-president draws his attention to the fact that he should be more prudent and cautious when it comes to ticketing and should also oversee the activities of his son a little more. That is all there is to say in relation to this affair and we now consider the case closed."

Blatter said it would be up to the FIFA administration to determine if the travel agency Simpaul, which is owned by Warner's family, would be allowed to sell tickets for future World Cups.

In its confidential report to FIFA, which was eventually leaked, Ernst & Young said the tickets were bought in Warner's name but picked up by Daryan in Germany. They were then sold to ticket agency Kick Sports for GBP 37,000, more than face value.

"We can confirm that tickets included in orders under customer reference 201498572 (Mr. Jack Warner) were transferred or resold into the secondary market in breach of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany ticketing general terms and conditions," stated a report by Ernst & Young.

FIFA's disciplinary committee also discarded complaints from Warner about the behaviour of the governing body's general secretary Urs Linsi, FIFA's administration, and Ernst & Young regarding the case.

Warner has been mixed up in similar situations before but under FIFA's statutes, only his confederation can remove him, not Blatter nor his fellow executive committee members.

Warner effectively controls the CONCACAF federation so his position has, until now, been unassailable.

Similar scandals may have different results, as the new FIFA ethics commission, which is headed by Lord Sebastian Coe, will be given considerable powers to take action.

Warner was not reprimanded in March even though FIFA ruled that he was guilty of conflict of interest when Simpaul secured the exclusive rights to sell Trinidad's entire World Cup ticket allowances.

Warner told the world governing body that he and his wife had sold their shares in Simpaul and was not aware he had violated any rules.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Warner obtained FIFA's TV rights in the Caribbean for a low price and then controversially sold them to broadcasters.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.