FIFA’s shameless squad: Hours after being freed from prison for ‘exhaustion’, suspect Jack Warner parties night away… as Blatter bleats scandal is revenge for UK and US losing World Cup bids

• Former FIFA vice president danced and wore a garland of flowers at party
• Offered bizarre defence against allegations in speech to whooping crowd
• He said: ‘Why only people from Third World countries have been charged?’
• Rambling Blatter hints £100m corruption scandal is a Western conspiracy
• Bomb threat forces evacuation of delegates from FIFA congress meeting

By Simon Tomlinson and Charles Sale In Zurich and Adam Shergold for MailOnline

Dancing without a care in the world, shameless Jack Warner parties the night away – hours after being freed from prison in an ambulance suffering from apparent exhaustion.

The disgraced former FIFA vice president claimed he was too ill to face reporters outside the jail in Trinidad where he was being held on eight charges in the FBI corruption case.

But just hours later, he donned a celebratory garland of flowers and whipped a partisan crowd of political allies into a frenzy with an energetic and defiant speech professing his innocence.

‘If I have been thiefing FIFA money for 30 years, who give me the money? How come he is not charged?’ the 72-year-old declared.

‘Why only persons from Third World countries have been charged?,’ he added, drawing hoots and applause from supporters in the district he represents as an opposition member of Parliament.

Pictures of the rally emerged as FIFA president Sepp Blatter suggested the £100m corruption scandal was a Western conspiracy because the U.S. and England were not awarded the next two World Cups.

 Shameless: Former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner (second right) dances with supporters at a political rally organised by his Independent Liberal Party in Chaguanas, in Trinidad and Tobago, hours after leaving prison in an ambulance complaining of exhaustion while facing eight charges in the U.S. corruption case

 Energised: Warner gestures while surrounded by supporters during the political rally organised by his Independent Liberal Party. He donned a cap and a garland of flowers during the festivities

 Upbeat: Warner gestures next to Rekha Ramjit, chairwoman of his Independent Liberal Party during the rally

 An ambulance carrying Warner leaves the state prison in Port-of-Spain on Thursday after he complained of exhaustion. He faces eight counts in the U.S., including conspiracy to defraud and to engage in racketeering

Jack Warner turns himself in amid FIFA corruption probe

Warner later insisted that if he has been accused by U.S. prosecutors, then Blatter must also face charges.

He told BBC World Service: ‘If I am supposed to be this corrupt person… he was my president for 24 years.

‘I didn’t push my hand in the till of FIFA. I’m not a FIFA treasurer. I didn’t write cheques for FIFA. If I am corrupt, it must be someone else who had given me the money.

‘If I am this corrupt person, he (Blatter) shouldn’t be allowed to go free.’

He meant England for 2018 and USA for 2022 – a dig at the British media who have led the anti-Blatter agenda and the FBI, whose investigations led to seven arrests and 14 officials indicted on bribery and kick-back charges by the US Attorney.

Blatter said: ‘They call into question the world Cups of 2018 and 2022. In December 2010, here in Zurich, when we decided on the two World Cups in one session.

‘If two other countries had emerged from the envelopes, we would not have these problems today.

‘But we can’t go back in time, we are not prophets. We can’t say what would have happened.’

Remarkably relaxed: FIFA President Sepp Blatter smiles while giving a speech at the FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, where he suggested the FBI corruption probe was a conspiracy by the U.S. and England

 The FIFA president, who has held office since 1998, is hoping to win a fifth term in Friday’s election

 ‘Western conspiracy’: Blatter claimed things would be different if two other countries – hinting at the U.S. and England – had been given the 2018 and 2022 World Cups instead of Russia and Qatar

Blatter also made another plea for team unity adding: ‘Given the special circumstances and the storm that followed and the major discussions that came with them. My president’s address will be different.

‘I will address what has happened and look how we can go forward. We are going through troubled times.

‘The events have thrown a shadow over FIFA but let us try to lift our spirits. We can’t accept FIFA being dragged through the mud. But those found guilty are individuals not the organisation.

‘These individuals have lost sight that this is a team sport which everybody must aim at the same goal.

‘I am willing to accept FIFA is responsible but share the responsibility with the Exco committee which is our government.

‘We are at a turning point. We need to pull together and move forward. We cannot constantly supervise everybody.

‘We have more than 300million active participants and we have 1.6 billion people touched by our game.’

Blatter, who goes up against Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein in today’s presidential election added: ‘It is not good that all this emerged two days before the Congress.

‘I’m not going to say coincidence but I do have a small question mark.

‘There is no sporting event that has more fame than the World Cup especially with TV where billions watch. So let us be careful. The idea of us being a simple game. This is not a monster.

‘Football and FIFA have become very important. And you the national associations are the shareholders and owners of this. But for this to work, there needs to be discipline.

‘It’s a matter of trust. Let us repair what has blown down. Let the boat go placidly into port’.

Pro-Palestinian protesters briefly interrupted Blatter’s speech, with world football’s governing body set to vote later on whether to expel Israel from the organisation.

The two female protesters stormed the opening address, waving red cards at FIFA representatives and chanting ‘Israel out!’ before being escorted out of the hall by security guards.

A group of around 150 pro-Palestinian protesters had gathered to chant outside Zurich’s Hallenstadion before the congress started.

A bomb scare during lunch only added to the drama, forcing the evacuation of the congress meeting.

Zurich city police spokesman Peter Sahli says a police operation is ongoing but declined to provide further details.
They call into question the world Cups of 2018 and 2022. If two other countries had emerged from the envelopes, we would not have these problems today
Sepp Blatter

Reporters at the scene said the Hallenstadion’s concert hall auditorium was cleared but the building itself was not evacuated.

FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke said ‘an anonymous threat against the FIFA congress was received.’ The meeting then resumed after lunch.

It came as the head of Brazil’s football federation fled Switzerland on the eve of the vote.

Marco Polo Del Nero left Zurich on Thursday night along with members of his personal delegation amid rumours he was spooked by the arrest of his predecessor Jose Maria Marin the day before.

Marin, who was in charge of the Brazilian FA between 2012 and 2015, was one of the 14 men indicted in the United States-led investigation into £100m of FIFA corruption.

A FIFA spokesman confirmed Del Nero had checked out of the five-star Baur au Lac hotel, where the dawn raids took place on Wednesday, and left the country – though he did not state why.

Del Nero, 74, was not one of those indicted by the United States. He is a member of FIFA’s 24-member executive committee.

In Friday afternoon’s FIFA presidency vote, incumbent Blatter will try to win a fifth term against Prince Ali. The result is expected at around 5pm UK time.