FIFA provisionally bans former head of CONCACAF Chuck Blazer

Former CONCACAF chief and outgoing FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer has been provisionally banned by FIFA. The American has been accused of embezzling at least $21 million in April, and is now banned from all soccer-related activities for the next 90 days.

Blazer has been on the FIFA Executive Committee since 1996, and has also served as Executive Vice President of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).

Here is the official release from FIFA on the provisional ban:

The chairman of the adjudicatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee, Hans-Joachim Eckert, has decided to provisionally ban FIFA Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer from taking part in any kind of football-related activity at national and international level for a maximum period of 90 days. The decision was taken following a request made by the acting deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Robert Torres, based on the fact that various breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics appear to have been committed by Chuck Blazer and that a decision on the main issue could not be taken early enough.

The investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee previously opened investigation proceedings against Chuck Blazer in response to the final report of the CONCACAF Integrity Committee (cf. www.concacafintegrityreport.com). The CONCACAF General Secretary, Enrique Sanz, asked FIFA to assume jurisdiction in “view of the serious alleged misconduct” and the implications for FIFA.

The chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Michael J. Garcia, declined to participate in this investigation due to the fact that he holds the same nationality as Chuck Blazer (cf. art. 35 par. 2 c) of the FIFA Code of Ethics).