FIFA hit back at Warner over TV rights

FIFA have labelled Jack Warner’s claim he was given World Cup TV rights in exchange for supporting Sepp Blatter’s presidential campaigns as false.

Warner, a former FIFA vice-president, said last month he purchased the Caribbean broadcasting rights for the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups for one dollar via a Mexican company.

FIFA has acknowledged that Warner sold TV rights for a nominal fee so they could be sold on at a greater price to generate money for the Caribbean Football Union.

But the organisation said in a statement on Friday that Warner’s declaration contained ‘several inaccuracies and falsehoods’ and that the sale of TV rights ‘had nothing to do with the 1998 or 2002 election campaigns, or with any other election campaign’.

“To imply the contrary is completely false,” the statement read.

Warner resigned from his role with FIFA in June after being embroiled in a bribery scandal that also saw former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam receive a life ban from football.