LOS ANGELES, June 1 — Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner has blasted the United States saying charges against him and other FIFA officials are motivated by the Americans’ desire to host the World Cup.

“All of this stems from a lost bid to host the 2022 World Cup,” said Warner, who is one of nine FIFA officials indicted on corruption charges by Swiss and US authorities.

“They lost to Qatar, a small country, a Muslim country... No country in the world have divine right to host the World Cup.”

Warner’s virulent but clumsy attack of the US came in an eight-minute Facebook video in which he cited an article from the satirical website The Onion.

Advertisement

In the video he holds up a copy of The Onion spoof headlined “FIFA Frantically Announces 2015 Summer World Cup In United States”.

The satirical story was published on Wednesday by The Onion.

The 72-year-old Warner surrendered to police in Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, but has maintained his innocence all week.

Advertisement

He was released after paying US$400,000 (RM1,463,240) in bail.

He is a former FIFA vice president and president of CONCACAF, the governing body for the game in North and Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the Caribbean Football Union president.

Warner also questioned why the story appeared “two days before the FIFA election” when Sepp Blatter was re-elected as president.

“If I was so bad and if FIFA was so bad, how come the head of FIFA is not?” he asked referring to Blatter’s election on Friday to a fifth term.

Blatter, who has been FIFA’s head since 1998, was not charged in the indictment.

The next two World Cups will be hosted in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. — AFP