*Note: The following is an editorial, and as such is an opinion piece with evidence included to supplement the argument which the author makes.
Wednesday has been a whirlwind of activity involving corruption involving FIFA officials. The United States Department of Justice issued warrents for 14 officials from around the world with a myriad of charges levied against them. The highlight of this came when Swiss police arrested 7 officials from the prestigious Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, just two days before the annual FIFA Congress and the next FIFA Presidential Election. Of particular note for long-suffering fans in CONCACAF is the news that Jack Warner turned himself over to Trinidad&Tobago authorities at the behest of the FBI.
For those new to the game, Warner presided over the largest, most public display of graft, theft, bribery and all around horribleness to ever hit the world's stage. And that is no exageration. It's impossible to list the litany of crimes he was a part of as that'd take countless articles. Perhaps my favorite is this, which happened shortly after he was sumarily dropped by FIFA, when he went on to regain control of the Carribean Football Union. (Just an FYI, Bill Archer has been documenting Warner's crimes for at least a decade. Well worth the read if you can stomach the crimes. One simply can't forget, or forgive, his role in stealing over $750,000 US in relief funds for Haiti after the massive earthquake in 2012.
The point is that Warner is a horrible human being who has surrounded himself with like-minded people. He has never cared who he hurts in his quest for money nor what lives, or federations, are destroyed as a result. Therefore, it is was warming to see Warner's name listed as one of the 14 wanted by the FBI and the DoJ. It made the soul sing to see Warner turn himself over to authorities in Trinidad when some nice gentlemen from the US showed up with a warrant for his arrest, and were unwilling to leave without the former FIFA Vice President in handcuffs. Considering the reign of terror Warner led while Minister of Defense it's no surprise that the T&T authorities are more than willing to rid themselves of him.
While everyone talks about who else will be indicted by the US, or should be, let's not forget the part Warner played in a massive scandal that rocked the world for decades. It's time for Warner to pay for his crimes and it'll be sweet to see him in court attempting to prove his innocence. What's even better for authorities is that Warner knows everyone, and I do mean everyone's, secrets and where to find the evidence.
If the FBI can turn Warner into a co-operating witness... who knows what might happen.