Blazer, disgraced ex-FIFA offi cial, dies at 72

Th ese are external links and will open in a new window Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Messenger Share this with Email Share Chuck Blazer, then Chairman of the FIFA Organising Committee for the Confederations Cup, pictured on 13 June, 2005Image copyrightAFP/GETTY IMAGES Image caption Blazer was banned from all football activities for life in 2015 Disgraced US football offi cial Chuck Blazer has died at the age of 72, his lawyers say. Blazer, who was banned from all football activities for life in 2015, had been suff ering from cancer. In 2013 he pleaded guilty to bribery, money laundering and tax evasion but agreed to help investigators expose corruption in Fifa. A larger-than-life character, he was ex-boss of Concacaf, North and Central American football’s governing body. His information led to charges against 14 other current or former Fifa offi cials, and contributed to the downfall of Sepp Blatter, the organisation’s president. Chuck Blazer: Th e parrot collector turned Fifa snitch “We are truly saddened by the passing of our client and friend, Chuck Blazer,” his lawyers said in a statement. “His misconduct, for which he accepted full responsibility, should not obscure Chuck’s positive impact on international soccer.” Th e offi cial served on Fifa’s

executive committee from 1997- 2013, during which time he pocketed millions to fund a globetrotting VIP lifestyle. A 2013 report by Concacaf’s integrity committee said he had received more than $20.6m (£16m) in commissions, fees and rental payments from the organisation between 1996 and 2011. His personal excesses included two apartments in New York’s Trump Tower, one of which was exclusively for his cats.

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