Soccer-CONCACAF hopes for new start after "shocking" reportBy Simon Evans
PANAMA CITY, April 20 (Reuters) - Dogged for years by allegations of corruption, CONCACAF hopes the publication of a report citing "fraudulent" activities by its former leadership will mark the turning of a new page for the soccer body.
CONCACAF, which governs the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean, made public on Friday an Integrity Committee dossier report which highlighted the misuse of millions of dollars from the late 1990s.
CONCACAF's former president Jack Warner and ex-general secretary Chuck Blazer have denied any wrongdoing but during a turbulent past 18 months both stood down from their positions.
While the report confirmed many of the rumours and allegations that have surrounded the regional governing body, new president Jeffrey Webb said the scale of the "fraud" had surprised many of CONCACAF's 45 member associations.
"The membership was prepared and expected a very damning report but to say that we were expecting this, no. For us, we were shocked and dismayed," he told reporters after Friday's congress.
The report detailed Warner's private ownership of what CONCACAF believed was its own $25 million Centre of Excellence in his native Trinidad.
It also also described how American Blazer had used the organisation's funds to "finance his personal lifestyle", including purchasing plush apartments in Miami's South Beach and attempting to do the same in the Bahamas.
POOR COUNTRIES
Webb said it should be remembered that the cash was supposed to help federations in poor and developing countries in the Caribbean and Central America.
"We come from a region where many of our territories are considered to be 'third world' and resources for us in this region, in the Caribbean in particular, are so important for our development," he said.
"I see players on a daily basis, kids who can't afford shoes, who can't afford even the basic necessities to play football. We just came from Haiti where football provides an opportunity for those kids. It affected me greatly to know that we have wasted so much," added the Cayman Islander.
Webb's new leadership have made a series of changes aimed at eliminating any chance of corruption rearing its head in one of world governing body FIFA's biggest and most influential confederations.
New statutes, rules and bodies that oversee decisions have been installed and, instead of small, private banks and little known auditing firms handling their finances, CONCACAF is now using established major companies like JP Morgan and BDO.
"It is making sure that not only CONCACAF but any federation doesn't have to go through what we have gone through. We will learn from this," added Webb.
Under Warner and Blazer, the workings of CONCACAF were notoriously secret, with little detail of dealings making its way to the members, let alone the media and the public.
OUTSIDE SCRUTINY
While 'transparency' has become a buzzword inside football governance in the past few years, CONCACAF has made genuine efforts to open their workings up to outside scrutiny.
The findings of the independent Integrity Committee were posted online and this Friday's congress, including discussions of past mismanagement, was open to the media - something unthinkable under Warner's rule.
Webb hopes publishing the report will allow CONCACAF to refocus on its role of developing the game in the region without being associated with the misdemeanors of the past.
"There have always been rumours and insinuation but after the evidence we have been presented with there is no more question. We believe that to move forward this was a necessary exercise and the membership demanded it," he said.
"Each and every one of us realises that trust must be regained at every single level - players, fans, referees coaches."
Among the decisions taken at Friday's congress was a collaboration with the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and a commitment to work closely and share experiences and expertise with the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The congress voted to allow full membership to five formerly associated members - French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten.
It also decided that under-15 national team tournaments will be added to the list of CONCACAF competitions as the organisation looks to refocus on the game itself - rather than the murky dealings which were exposed on Friday. (Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Mike Collett)
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