ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Under-fire Caribbean Football Union president, Gordon Derrick says he has been buoyed by support from local clubs as he prepares to defend himself against charges of corruption brought by football’s world governing body, FIFA.
Derrick, who is also the general secretary of the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association, faces a ban of up to four years and a fine of US$15 000 for “alleged conflicts of interest, offering and accepting gifts and other benefits, mismanagement of funds, abuse of position, and disloyalty.”
“I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of clubs and I was absolutely blown away … and I really feel the love from the clubs,” Derrick said here on a sports radio show.
“A lot of them have told me that anything they can assist with in my defense to please, let them know and they are fully happy, able and willing to assist in any way they can. I don’t know how they can yet because I am working with my lawyers.
“But, I am talking well over 50 percent of the clubs have already called.”
FIFA announced recently that its Ethics Committee had opened a formal case against Derrick following an investigation conducted by Dr Cornel Borbély, chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee.
In a report submitted to the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s Ethics Committee, Dr Borbély recommended a ban on Derrick of no less than four years from any kind of football-related activity – administrative, sports or any otherwise – along with a fine.
Though FIFA did not outline the specifics of the charges, it is understood that among the contentious matters is the mortgaging of land here housing the FIFA Goal Project – a move Derrick said was a decision of the entire ABFA.
“I cannot mortgage the ABFA’s property by myself. Anything to do with football, the decisions must be passed by the Executive Committee,” Derrick explained.
“I am an employee of the association and my job as the [general secretary] is to carry out the objectives of the Executive Committee body and if I am not doing that, they would let me know and they would fire me and reprimand me, or do whatever they want to do with me as an employee.”
The Antiguan took over as CFU head in 2012 following the resignation of Trinidadian Jack Warner at the height of the cash-for-votes scandal, and was re-elected for a second term last July.
He said, however, he had taken the decision to step aside from the position until the ongoing matter with FIFA was wrapped up.
“I’ve not resigned from the CFU. I’ve recused myself until the conclusion of the matter that’s going on at the moment,” he stressed.
“I have only about two weeks left to get all of my defense in and there is a significant amount of files that I have to go through. I have to make sure I go through everything to make sure I can have my defense in properly and on time.”
FIFA said recently Derrick would be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The current controversy is not Derrick’s first run-in with the powerful world governing body. He was one of several Caribbean officials reprimanded and fined over “apparent violations” of FIFA’s ethics code, following the cash-for-votes scandal.
And only last year, he was barred from standing for the post of CONCACAF president after FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee said he had had failed an integrity check.
