Fifa has been rocked further as Sepp Blatter and Jérôme Valcke, its two most senior figures, were accused of a "politically motivated" subversion of the presidential election process by one of the men suspended in the ethics committee inquiry.
Jack Warner was the vice-president who had spent almost 30 years on Fifa's executive committee until his provisional suspension on Sunday. Now, having warned of "a football tsunami" ahead of this week's election, he threatens to tear Fifa apart from within, challenging his suspension through the courts.
As a first step he has opened a front on Valcke, who is Fifa's top mandarin as its general secretary. Warner has disclosed an incendiary email in which Valcke discussed the presidential election campaign of the Qatari Fifa executive-committee member Mohamed bin Hammam, who was suspended on Sunday. In the message Valcke appears to accuse Qatar of "buying" the World Cup.
"'For MBH, I never understood why he was running,'" Valcke's email states. "'If really he thought he had a chance or just being an extreme way to express how much he does not like anymore JSB [Blatter]. Or he thought you can buy Fifa as they [Qatar] bought the WC."
Valcke has confirmed the email but said it has been quoted selectively. "It was a private email and we will discuss it," Valcke said on Monday. "He sent me an email asking if I want that [Bin Hammam to run], he said I should ask Bin Hammam to pull out."
Qatar released a statement, denying any wrongdoing. It read: "Qatar 2022 categorically deny any wrong doing in connection with their winning bid. We are urgently seeking clarification from Fifa about the statement from their general secretary. In the meantime we are taking legal advice to consider our options."
Valcke's comments to Warner about Bin Hammam cast doubt on his own impartiality in the election process. According to Warner's statement Valcke, who is known to believe that he would be dismissed from Fifa were Bin Hammam to have won Wednesday's election, added in the email: "I have a bet since day one, he will withdraw but on June 1st after his 10 min speech.
"He will get some votes. Less than 60 today after CAF support. It will be the 'coup de grace' if you would officially send a message as the Concacaf president by saying Concacaf supports unanimously. So I am not giving you an advice but just my feeling about what I think is the situation."
Warner, the then Concacaf president, refused to offer that support. He claims what followed was evidence of the political "bias" of Fifa's administration in favour of the incumbent president, since it was Valcke who set the ball rolling on the inquiry that has led to the suspensions of Bin Hammam and Warner. "The complaints made in this matter are politically motivated against Mr Bin Hammam and me and are designed, among other things, to cause serious prejudice and damage to both Mr Bin Hammam and myself at one of the most critical times for the Fifa," Warner said.
Warner's statement was prepared under legal advice and his case against Fifa will seek to discredit the principal accuser in the ethics committee inquiry. Concacaf's general secretary, Chuck Blazer, ordered the Collins & Collins report into Warner and Bin Hammam's conduct, which formed the basis of the ethics committee decision on Sunday.
"It is informative for one to look at Mr Blazer's credibility by referring to the report of the New York district court judge in the matter between Master Card and Visa in the Fifa matter of 7 December 2006," wrote Warner, before citing the court decision.
"Mr Blazer's testimony was generally without credibility based on his attitude and demeanour on his evasive answers on cross-examination ... Thus, for that reason and based on his evasive answers and his attitude and demeanour, Mr Blazer's testimony as the 14 March 2006 Marketing & TV AG Board meeting is rejected as fabricated."
The final strand of Warner's attack on the events that led to his suspension on Sunday is against Blatter. Warner accuses Blatter of apportioning Fifa funds for his own political ends in the final weeks before Wednesday's election. "I also indicated that at the Miami Concacaf congress on 3 May Mr Blatter made a gift of $1m to Concacaf to spend as it deems fit," Warner said. "This annoyed [Uefa's] president Michel Platini who was present and he approached Valcke complaining that Mr Blatter had no permission from the finance committee to make this gift to which Jérôme [sic] replied that he will find the money for Mr Blatter."
The president of a Concacaf federation, in Zurich for a special caucus of the Caribbean, Central and North American confederation, has confirmed that this award had been made. It was in favour of two Goal projects of the confederation's choosing.
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