Jack Warner: Former FIFA VP May Be the Worst Person in the Entire World

Jack Warner is not what you would call a good person.

Warner is not only accused of stealing money from his own federation's players, he's also being accused, by FIFA, of stealing money from Haitian earthquake relief efforts. If true, Warner's actions are (as abhorrent as they are), sadly, predictable.

Warner resigned from his post with FIFA in June to avoid a formal investigation into alleged election bribery. Per the Associated Press, Warner still remains a powerful figure in Trinidad's government. He is seemingly untouchable.

Warner is also, allegedly, the only person who could possibly know where in the world he put the 2006 World Cup bonus money he promised the Trinidadian players for making the tournament. Nearly six years later, he has yet to pay them in full:

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A high court judge said Tuesday that former FIFA vice president Jack Warner claims he knows nothing about any outstanding bonuses from the national team’s 2006 World Cup run.

Last week, Warner acknowledged he had promised the players a 30 percent bonus on the basis of the earnings of the team in the tournament. The players say Warner met an initial payment ordered by the court last year. However, a second award of the court still has not been paid.

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The players claim Warner was the only person who had the information for the accounts that held the bonus money. Warner wrote a letter last week denying any knowledge of these accounts. The money is, what, just gone?

Sadly, missing money seems to be a trend with Warner. On Thursday, reports circulated from Trinidad that Warner is in a new fight, this time with FIFA:

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FIFA [is] awaiting an explanation about the whereabouts of emergency aid money intended for Haiti which had been sent to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation two years ago. 

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FIFA confirmed that $250,000—some reports indicate the sum was much higher—was sent to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation in 2010, intended to serve as emergency aid for Haiti. The Haitian Football Federation claims that only $60,000 had been received, leaving an additional $190,000 completely unaccounted for.

Warner has attacked the media for asking about this situation, saying:

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"This happened, I mean, imagine two years ago, two years ago (and) something has now been raised, ask yourself why, guys," Warner said, describing the newspaper article as "a foolish article." 

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Yes, Mr. Warner. Clearly the statute of limitations has passed on stealing money from people whose lives were destroyed by an earthquake. That has to be no more than, say, 18 months?

The article to which Warner callously replied was a report in the Sunday Times of London (subscription required) that claimed Warner was still on the hook for this missing aid money. When asked about the report, Warner lashed out at local media:

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"Let them write; when I want to talk I will talk. I have nothing to answer to anybody," Warner told reporters Tuesday, adding that "you can't take every foolish report that appears in a newspaper and ask me questions about it."

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He then told the media: 

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“Let us be friends. I don’t want any favours from the media. You have to write, write. You have to print, print. What I don’t want is the kind of bias I see taking place.”

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Let's get this straight: Warner is accused of withholding bonuses from players he promised to pay AND withholding FIFA funds from a country ravaged by a natural disaster, yet told reporters he will talk only when he wants to talk. At the same time, he doesn't want the media to be biased against him.

The media, while reporting one side of the story, is asking Warner for the other side, and he won't give that side because the media has only told one side. Get that?

Here's how to make the story less biased, Jack: tell them where the money is. Where is the money, Jack?

Where is the money? FIFA wants to know. The players want to know. We want to know.

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"Let me tell you something. There is nothing anybody could say or do to make me look bad anymore." 

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On that, Warner is right. He has made himself look like the worst person on the planet. There is nothing any of us can say or do to make him look worse. Now, where is the money?