Cayman’s Jeff Webb in FIFA top job spotlight
(CNS): President of CONCACAF, Jeffery Webb, is back in the spotlight regarding the possible top job at the international football body, FIFA. As scandal and skulduggery continue to plague the sports organisation and Sepp Blatter’s re-election remains in question, Webb’s name has re-emerged as a possible contender for the FIFA presidency. Candidates for the election next year must submit their intention to stand by 29 January, and according to reports on the BBC, while Blatter may be running again, he has not yet decided and if he doesn’t, Webb, Cayman’s own football boss, may be tipped to as his successor if he throws his cap in the ring.
According to the BBC, secret talks between FIFA officials and Sepp Blatter have taken place over his future and if Blatter decides he will not run, FIFA insiders are pointing to Webb as one of the main contenders.
Appointed president of CONCACAF in 2012 in the wake of the financial scandal involving the former vice-presidents, Chuck Blazer and Jack Warner, Webb has since stabilised the organisation's finances and led the anti-discrimination taskforce, which has introduced tough new sanctions for racism offences within the game.
Webb has said he doesn’t plan to run for the presidency this year, with many expecting him to target the 2019 poll. But as the pressure on Blatter continues to build, and given the recent haemorrhaging of FIFA's credibility, Webb is believed to be considering his options, the BBC said. Blatter has praised Webb in the past and lauded his efforts to reform Caribbean football.
With five weeks to go until the deadline for presidential candidates to formally declare their candidacy, it is thought that Blatter's actions backing the redacted publication of the Michael Garcia report when the current investigations have concluded has provided him with sufficientpolitical breathing space to make it onto the list of nominees.
The latest crisis to hit FIFA stems from the investigation into alleged World Cup bidding corruption that culminated in the resignation of ethics committee investigator Michael Garcia. He is claiming a lack of independence in the association’s judicial processes and a belief the organisation's culture was beyond reform.
Category: Sports
If Jeff becomes FIFA President, would be the highest positioned Caymanian overseas. I can't think of any other Caymanian that has rise to the top for an international organization like FIFA.
Just curious CNS, do you have any data of the highest positioned Caymanian on a international level, and I mean born Caymanian and not rich Caymanian like Dart, but a Caymanian that is top positioned? I would be curious to know who that is in light of the fact that Jeff may replace him or her. As well that person should be made known.
http://www.nba.com/careers/executives/tatum.html
Mark Tatum is a Caymanian with roots in Cayman Brac.
And not one reference or "nod" to Cayman in his bio. Sorry, doesn't count.
Be very careful Jeff, you're getting involved in an organisation that isrotten and corrupt to the core. Make sure they don't drag you down to their level.
FIFA needs football, football doesn't need FIFA. The sooner the world of football realizes this and boycotts FIFA the better.
Absolutely right.
Sorry to disappoint 10:01, but you're not thinking when you make such statements, as in: Football does not need FIFA! I beg to disagree! Call it FIFA or by any other name, but it is a well known fact that without a governing body such as FIFA football as we know it could not exist! Reason being! That in all international sports be it golf or tennis or any other international sport, there is a governing body! Why? Because if the governing body did not exist there would be total chaos and disagreement among the membership of these groups, mainly because of the size. The FIFA fraternity like these groups has hundreds if not thousands of members and is no different, making it necessary for a governing body!
What is needed is a "magnanimous leader" who has accepted "humility" as a necessary asset in being a great leader, and having enforceable rules within the system that is managed by an independent arm of the FIFA that can enforce the governing laws of the group and not be influenced in anyway by the president or other leaders of the organization! Then maybe we will see a FIFA that will be an inspiration to others and is become more accountable and responsible.
It do believe that Mr. Jeffry Webb would be an excellent choice for the post, because even with his short time as a leader in the FIFA he has already demonstrated great leadership in that he has been working on changes in the attitudes within the football community to put more stringent laws and penalties in place re racism etc.
So I say Good Luck Jeffry! Thus far you have made our little island proud! God bless you and your family, and all the best for the holidays. Let us all give God thanks!
Have you not missed the point of the writer's argument completely? The point is FIFA, not a governing body. For organized football needs an organizer, but that organizer does not have to be FIFA.
I don't know about leadership. As far as I can tell Mr Webb said absolutely nothing when high ranking members of his own union were caught red handed, taking envelopes stuffed full of cash. And let's not forget who his business partner is, that paragon of virtue Horace Burrell. You've got to go some way to be disciplined by FIFA but that's what happened to the good old Capt. Banned for 6 months.
The powers that be in FIFA, mainly the thoroughly discredited Sepp Blatter, have done a really good job over the last 24 months or so, making Mr Webb appear squeaky clean. Give him a role that deals with an issue everyone wants to see tackled properly, racism and there you go. Mr Webb is the saviour of football.
But if anyone thinks that FIFA is anything other than a thoroughly corrupt organisation, from top to bottom, then they need to stay off the Kool Aid for a week. The fact that someone representing Cayman could become the head of such an organistation is very worrying.
Yes, all of a sudden we'll get to stage even more tournaments (which Mr Webb has said government should contribute to the cost of) and so the politicians will be happy at the increase in "sports tourism". But a jurisdiction which is currently struggling with reputational issues, rightly or wrongly, can only make matters worse by being associated even more closely with what has in 2014 become the laughing stock of world sport.
Football may need a governing body but if that is going to be FIFA, then it needs to be a FIFA without the discredited old guard and Mr Webb, having been invloved in FIFA for over 20 years, is very much part of that old guard, despite what the new make over would have you believe.
Maybe someone should start another "world" body like they did in boxing with WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF. If we have FIFA, F2FA, F3FA and F4FA we could have the World Cup every year instead of having to wait four years.
It would give England a chance to win the World Cup.