FIFA’s dirty money trial leads to Caribbean

(Daily Mail): FIFA's dirty money trail was revealed in pictures of cash in brown envelopes offered to members after a presentation by then presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam. The money was delivered to a Caribbean football official in an envelope which, the picture shows, has the word 'Bahamas' on it. Inside was $40,000 – equivalent to several years' pay for many officials from the Caribbean's smaller islands – in four packs of new $100 notes. Members of the Caribbean Football Union had been invited to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Trinidad on May 10 to listen to Bin Hammam present his manifesto. (Photo Anton Sealey who refused cash)

Afterwards, the 25 associations, whose flights and hotel costs were being covered by Bin Hammam, were asked to go to a conference room to pick up 'a gift', according to an affidavit sent to FIFA's  ethics committee.

Fred Lunn, vice-president of the Bahamas FA, was one of the first to go up to the room, where he was handed a large brown envelope. When he opened it 'stacks of $100 fell out and on to the table. I was stunned to see this cash,' he said in the affidavit presented on Sunday.

Lunn said he was not authorised to accept such a gift but was urged to do so by a CFU official. He decided to hold on to the money and contact his association president, Anton Sealey, by text.

Copies of these texts were sent to the ethics committee, which suspended Bin Hammam and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner on Sunday pending a full inquiry, along with CFU officials Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester.

Sealey then called Lunn and told him 'under no circumstances would the Bahamas FA accept such a cash gift' and that he should return the $40,000.

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