Chuck Blazer

• 1. From Queens To The Soccer Field

  ›

  Charles Gordon Blazer grew up in a middle-class Jewish family in the borough of Queens. His father ran a stationery and newspaper shop on a busy street corner. Blazer attended Forest Hills High School before earning an accountancy degree at New York University. He later enrolled at NYU's Stern School of Business but did not complete his MBA. After graduation, he spent years selling promotional items to various businesses. A first success came when he supplied buttons for the Smiley craze in the 1970s. In 1976, his son started playing youth soccer in Westchester County, New York. Blazer began coaching the team despite never having played the game himself. He advanced through youth soccer administration up to the Eastern New York State Soccer Association.

• 2. The Rise Of An Administrator

  ›

  In 1984, Blazer persuaded Pelé to campaign for him during an election. He was elected to the United States Soccer Federation as executive vice president in charge of international competition. During the next two years, the US men's soccer team played nineteen matches. They had only played two matches in the two years prior to Blazer's election. While with U.S. soccer, Blazer played a central role in the decision to make the successful bid for the 1994 World Cup. The U.S. women's soccer team also formed during this time. Blazer held a seat on the board of CONCACAF where he met Jack Warner. In 1986, after failing to win re-election, he co-founded the American Soccer League and ran it from his home. That league lasted only two years before Blazer was forced out by owners who felt kept in the dark about finances. He became president of the Miami Sharks but left precipitously after five months in May 1989. In 1989, Blazer convinced Jack Warner to run for CONCACAF president. Blazer managed Warner's successful campaign and was then appointed General Secretary.

• 3. Allegations And Initial Suspensions

  ›

  In May 2011, national representatives attending a May 10 meeting of the Caribbean Football Union made allegations of bribery. Blazer initiated an investigation of AFC President Mohammed bin Hammam and FIFA Vice President Jack Warner. The investigation was conducted by John P. Collins, former United States federal prosecutor and FIFA Legal Committee member. Its submission led to FIFA's the 29th of May 2011, suspension of Warner and Bin Hammam from all soccer activities pending the outcome of FIFA's own investigation. Acting CONCACAF president Lisle Austin attempted to fire Blazer five days later. The action was blocked by the CONCACAF executive committee. On the 15th of June 2011, Blazer was questioned by the FIFA Ethics Committee. On the 14th of August 2011, journalist Andrew Jennings noted in the British newspaper The Independent that the FBI was examining documentary evidence revealing confidential soccer payments to offshore accounts operated by Blazer. Blazer began working undercover for the FBI in December 2011.

• 4. The Decision To Cooperate

  ›

  On the 19th of April 2013, Blazer and Jack Warner were accused of massive fraud during their years as CONCACAF executives. A forensic audit determined both men had functioned without a written contract from 1998 until their respective departures. Blazer had received US$15 million in commissions for his services during that timeframe. An anonymous government source expected an ongoing FBI investigation into Blazer's finances would be expanded significantly and joined by the IRS. In May 2013, Blazer was suspended for 90 days. It was reported on the 1st of November 2014, that Blazer had been a confidential informant for the FBI and the IRS. He recorded key meetings between executives for FIFA and for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Blazer was compelled to inform after they uncovered more than a decade of unpaid taxes on hidden, multimillion-dollar incomes. On the 27th of May 2015, several FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich with Blazer having been a key cooperating witness.

• 5. Zurich Arrests And Guilty Plea

  ›

  On the 3rd of June 2015, the transcript of a closed sentencing proceeding became public. The proceeding occurred in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on the 25th of November 2013. In his 2013 testimony, Blazer admitted to conspiring with other FIFA Executive Committee members to accept bribes. These bribes were linked to the selection of 1998 and 2010 World Cup hosts. On the 9th of July 2015, Blazer received a lifetime ban from FIFA from all soccer-related activity. Blazer died before being sentenced due to the decisions of his co-defendants to go to trial. The delay in sentencing was caused by these legal choices made by others involved in the case. Blazer agreed to plead guilty to charges that include racketeering, wire fraud, income tax evasion, and money laundering.

• 6. Lifetime Ban And Final Confessions

  ›

  Blazer's admissions came during testimony given at a sealed sentencing proceeding in a New York federal court. He admitted to accepting bribes in conjunction with the failed bid of Morocco and the successful bid of South Africa to become World Cup hosts in 1998 and 2010 respectively. His career ended when he received a lifetime ban from FIFA from all soccer-related activity on the 9th of July 2015. Charles Gordon Blazer died on the 12th of July 2017, of colorectal cancer at a New Jersey hospital at the age of 72. At the time of his death, he also had coronary artery disease and diabetes. He held positions including FIFA Executive Committee member from 1996 to 2013 and CONCACAF general secretary from 1990 to 2011.