Caribbean to cooperate with FIFA graft probe

Miami: Caribbean football federations say they will now fully cooperate with FIFA`s bribery investigation after the world soccer governing body moved the venue for interviews to the Bahamas, Jamaican Football Federation president Horace Burrell said Friday.

Burrell is acting president of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), which had objected to the interviews being held in Miami. "In light of the attempts to address the challenges facing the Caribbean Football Union; as well bring closure to the Ethics Committee proceedings, members of the Caribbean Football Union will fully cooperate with any investigation being conducted on behalf of the FIFA Ethics Committee," said Burrell. The investigation is focussed on allegations that bribes were handed out at a CFU meeting with Asian soccer chief Mohammed Bin Hammam in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on May 10-11. CFU president Jack Warner and Bin Hammam, who at that time was a candidate for FIFA president, were both suspended by FIFA`s Ethics committee on May 29, pending a full inquiry. "We have received notice that the requested interviews will now be conducted in the Bahamas as opposed to the United States of America," said Jamaican Burrell."This event has dragged on for too long, many have suffered and many will continue to suffer. And so the Union is unified in its position that in the interest of this game, we have agreed to attend the interviews at dates convenient to our respective members." Bureau Report