The Guardian reported this morning that the Australian federal police may investigate a payment of AUD$500,000 (€349,000) by Football Federation Australia (FFA) to Jack Warner. The news comes after the former FIFA Vice-President was charged by the US Department of Justice along with eight other current and former FIFA officials for ‘racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses’ (reported by the Sports Integrity Initiative here). According to The Guardian the AFP told the paper that Bonita Mersiades, the former FFA head of corporate affairs and a former senior member of Australia’s World Cup bid team, and an independent Australian senator Nick Xenophon had written to the Australian federal police (AFP) asking it to investigate the FFA’s payment to Jack Warner.

In April 2013, a formal inquiry by the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Integrity Committee published its findings that Warner had ‘committed fraud and misappropriated funds that were sent by FFA to CONCACAF for development of the COE [Centre of Excellence, a multi-purpose complex in Trinidad and Tobago]’. The payment occurred in 2010 as part of Australia’s failed bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. FFA told The Australian at the time that the funding related to the ‘mandatory’ FIFA World Cup bidding criteria in which they said that the FFA was required to demonstrate its credentials in the area of international development.

Last year Australian media reported that the FFA had not called in the AFP to investigate the 2013 inquiry finding, a move that was denounced by Ms Mersiades and other FIFA sources. The FFA reportedly said that it was awaiting ‘the outcome of the ongoing FIFA inquiry before pursuing the matter’. Since then no further action is known to have been taken by FFA.

According to The Guardian, the AFP ’s commissioner, Andrew Colvin, has now said that it could confirm that it had been contacted and asked to ‘provide advice in relation to this matter.’ The AFP said that it would assess the letters from Ms Mersiades and Mr Xenophon and provide advice in due course.

Xenophon has reportedly also called on FFA to formally report to US authorities the payment it made to Warner in 2010. Jack Warner continues to maintain his innocence; on his Facebook page, Warner wrote ‘I wish to thank all of you who have kept the faith. I thank you for your prayers, text messages and other expressions of support. You have renewed my strength and for this I will be forever grateful. The mission to make Trinidad and Tobago the best place that it can be continues. Together we pursue our common dream.’

Jack Warner resigned from his post as FIFA Vice-President in 2011 after he had been suspended by FIFA pending an investigation into bribery allegations. His resignation meant that FIFA’s Ethics Committee procedures against him were closed and his ‘presumption of innocence maintained’.