For FIFA’s Jack Warner, the end is already here, apparently

This isn’t about the Quakes but instead, we’re dipping a toe into the mind-numbing waters of FIFA politics today. With the U.S. taking on Spain this afternoon, it seems appropriate — plus, this is just too amazing to let pass without comment.

Our subject is Jack Warner, CONCACAF president and FIFA vice president as well as a member of FIFA’s executive committee. Despite his lofty titles, he’s not exactly known as a paragon of virtue. In March 2007, FIFA fined Warner’s son close to $1 million for scalping tickets to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. As noted in this article from the U.K.’s Daily Mail, “The deals, revealed exclusively in Sportsmail last September, were set up by Jack Warner. His Trinidad-based company Simpaul Travel acquired more than 5,400 tickets from FIFA and then sold them at huge mark-ups to tour operators in England, Japan and Mexico.”

What is perhaps more remarkable is that Warner was not forced to resign over the incident. This gives us a hint of his political power within FIFA, as does today’s story which prompts the words you’re reading now.

Warner next made headlines last August, when he had this to say about a potential England bid to host the 2018 World Cup (as noted in Jack Bell’s blog for the New York Times:

“If by chance, in 2018, the World Cup were to go to Europe, I’m quite sure, with the English luck as it is, they won’t get it.”

“It’ll be Italy, Spain, or it might even be France. Nobody in Europe likes England. England — who invented the sport — has never had any impact on World Football. England at no time has had the love and support of Europe. For Europe, England is an irritant.

“There are moves to give it to England. I must fight that. I really don’t believe that we should just lay down and play dead to anyone who wants to take the World Cup from CONCACAF.

“I know in FIFA there are those persons who believe the rules should be changed to satisfy Europe but I tell you this today, we shall fight it to the very end.”

Strong words, but apparently “the very end” has already arrived, thanks no doubt to the fact that England just played a friendly in Trinidad and Tobago, Warner’s home country. As the BBC notes here, Warner is suddenly happy to support England’s bid:

“The catalyst of my support for England for the bid for 2018 is because I don’t believe any country of England’s football pedigree should not have a world cup for almost 50 years,” he said.

“England, a country that invented the sport and with all the facilities England has, has not hosted a world cup and I think it is wrong.”

…However, Warner believes England’s friendly against Trinidad and Tobago went a long way to convincing him that the men in charge of the FA and England’s bid are capable of winning support for their bid.

“Nobody in this part of the world will ever think they are arrogant again,” he said. “They were the most helpful, kind, considerate people, who fell over themselves to help anyone they could.”

Maybe Warner’s change of heart was genuine, but when you consider that he has requested checks destined to T and T’s football association be made out in his name in the past, we have to be skeptical.

So, what does any of this have to do with American soccer? Just this, as the BBC story reveals:

Warner did warn that he would not vote against a bid from the USA should the two go head to head to host the 2018 World Cup.

“No, it would be political suicide for me to go against my own federation’s country,” he said.

“But I don’t think USA would get the requisite number of votes in total to win the bid so I would urge them not to bid, allowing Concacef and our friends to support England.

“Then, perhaps, the USA could do a deal to host the 2022 World Cup.”

Apparently, whether they’re in your federation or not, the road to the World Cup goes through Trinidad and Tobago.

For more on Warner and the less-than-savory goings on at FIFA, check out reporter Andrew Jennings’ web site, transparencyinsport.org.