CONCACAF sues travel firm in bid to recover ‘bribes paid to Webb and Sanz’
LOS ANGELES/MIAMI: A California travel company is being sued for $50m by the central and north American football confederation over its alleged role in the FIFAGate scandal writes KEIR RADNEDGE.
CONCACAF has launched a suit against sued Cartan Tours in a Los Angeles court over bribes purportedly paid to former confederation president Jeffrey Webb and to Enrique Sanz, who worked closely with CONCACAF as a maketing executive before becoming secretary general.
The lawsuit claims Webb and Sanz awarded Cartan Tours an exclusive deal even though the company lacked expertise to provide the level of services CONCACAF previously had enjoyed.
Other defendants are three Cartan affiliates – Elmore Sports Group, iSports Marketing and Gant Travel. An executive named as Daniel L Gamba is also being sued.
CONCACAF said it discovered the alleged scheme after Webb, who also served as FIFA’s former vice president, was among seven senior FIFA directors and other businessmen arrested last May 27 in Zurich at the request of the United States Department of Justice.
Webb has pleaded guilty to charges in the case which claims that more than $200m was siphoned off by senior football officials in the Americas.
Sanz has not been charged by the US DoJ but has been registered in the indictment as a co-conspirator.
CONCACAF said in a statement on Tuesday the complaint “sends a strong message that CONCACAF will seek restitution and other damages from those who cause harm to the Confederation, no matter the person or organisation.”
According to the lawsuit, after Cartan was awarded the deal, it treated CONCACAF as a “proverbial cash cow,” inflating charges, overstaffing events and charging CONCACAF an 18 percent management fee on top of every dollar it spent on events.
The claim added: “There is only one reason Cartan was able to continue this scheme: it had a secret deal with Webb and Sanz to pay them off.”
In total, 41 individuals and corporations have been charged in the United States in connection with the corruption probe. Fourteen defendants, including Webb, have pleaded guilty. Several are still fighting extradition from other countries.
###########
