CONCACAF president Jack Warner demonstrated a startling level of unprofessionalism when his interview with the BBC World Service quickly unveiled the personal vendetta he appears to hold against England.

In a clip publicly released by the BBC, he claims that ‘'nobody has a divine right to host the 2018 World Cup’' but that '‘in FIFA, there are those persons that believe the rules should be changed to satisfy Europe'’. A valid point, he is the chief representative of CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) and it is his job to fight for the 2018 World Cup to be held in his territory after all.

Under the current system, North America would be the hosts in 2018. However, due to a lack of appropriate candidates, only Canada, the USA and Mexico could realistically host the tournament. With Mexico having held the event in ‘70 and ‘86 and the States in ‘94, it is understandable that FIFA is considering adapting its rigid rotation policy so that only the previous two successful continents are excluded from the bidding process.

'Evidence uncovered on BBC's Panorama showed that Warner had profited from selling World Cup tickets at inflated prices'


Naturally, this would give Europe a great chance of holding the event in 2018 and many would argue that England would be the favourites. Warner would therefore face a tougher task in promoting his bid, although instead of discussing the merits of a North American World Cup, he launched a stinging - and at times laughable - attack on English football, politics and culture.

As he struggled to hold back the evident glee in his voice he stated that ‘'England won’t get it’' and if it did go to Europe, it would go to ‘'Italy, Spain or even France’' - three more countries that have held the tournament in far more recent times than England.

'‘Nobody in Europe likes England,'’ was the FIFA delegate’s next claim as the flavour of the conversation turned rather xenophobic and carried an underlying racist tone (the FIFA slogan ‘kick racism out of football’ came to mind).

He added: "England may have invented the game but England has never had any impact on world football and at no time has had the love and support of Europe. England is an irritant." Not the words you would expect from someone who represents the world’s most popular sport, a game that is supposed to have brought nations of people together.

If England has failed to achieve anything on the world stage, one could be forgiven for asking who has? Surely being one of only seven nations to win the World Cup means something? Isn’t David Beckham supposed to be the most famous footballer on the planet? Isn’t the Premier League the most marketable and popular in world football? I could go on with this list but we would be here all day.

Secondly, it is quite incredible that Warner feels he can group a diverse continent like Europe together and speak for all of them. It is impossible for any country to have a perfect relationship with the whole of Europe and England is no exception to this rule. Franz Beckenbauer’s vocal support of England’s World Cup bid surely shows that despite our natural competitive rivalries, this respect is mutual.

Even the most avid critic of England would no doubt feel embarrassed by Warner’s words, so one must ask, what is the true motivation for his outburst? A glance over Warner’s history gives us some immediate answers.

In June 2006, the BBC transmitted a Panorama episode entitled, ‘The Beautiful Bung’. This programme brought to light the shady dealings of a certain Jack Warner. The evidence uncovered showed that Warner had profited from selling World Cup tickets at inflated prices. As the man in charge of distributing his continent’s supply of tickets, it transpired that those tickets were sold by a travel company called Simpaul Travel, owned by Warner himself.

In the 80s and 90s, it is alleged that he used his position to obtain television football rights at a very low price and then sold them on for a healthy profit and finally, when the 2001 U17 World Championships were held in Trinidad and Tobago, stadium contracts for security, food and travel all went to Warner or his family’s businesses.

These blatant conflicts of interest have only ever been met by FIFA with disapproval and warnings over his future conduct. However, this lack of action should come as no surprise to those familiar with FIFA politics. Due to Warner’s control over 35 crucial votes in his region, Sepp Blatter cannot afford to be without Warner’s political swing. Due to split votes in other regions, Blatter is reliant on Warner’s support to direct vote results in his favour.

They say looks can be deceiving and although football may be known as ‘the beautiful game’, ugliness remains deeply rooted, beneath the surface.