Hardbeatnews, LONDON, England, Thurs. Dec. 7, 2006: Trinidad-born vice-president of FIFA, Jack Warner, yesterday got a slap on the wrist for illicit resale of tickets at the 2006 World Cup but got away without any sanctions.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said the committee had decided to follow the recommendations of its independent disciplinary body and "express disapproval" at Warner's conduct while reminding “him to exercise the requisite level of care in ticketing matters in the future and to strictly abide by all directives.”
But the committee also warned Warner to “… ensure that his son, Daryan Warner, does not abuse the position held by his father.
Warner, the president of the Caribbean and North and Central American Federation since 1990, along with his son, were accused in an audit by Ernst and Young, of reselling soccer world cup tickets though Daryan’s travel agency, Simpaul Travel.
The audit claimed the firm made about US$927,000 dollars from resales of tickets, an action that is illegal under FIFA contracts.
FIFA Disciplinary Committee chief Marcel Mathier told a new conference that the decision was made because of a lack of evidence. "No breach of ticketing directives can objectively be proven and therefore it cannot be proven that Jack Warner knew about the resale of tickets at higher prices," Mathier stated. "However, from a subjective point of view, we can question whether or not Jack Warner knew about his son's activities in relation to ticketing.
Daryan Warner for his part has paid 250,000 dollars to charity supported by FIFA in an effort to make ammends, Blatter, a close ally of Jack Warner, revealed.
