Jack Warner, former FIFA vice president, surrenders to authorities

Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president who declared his innocence after being indicted on corruption charges, surrendered to authorities Wednesday, a Trinidad and Tobago Police Service spokeswoman confirmed.

Warner, who also served as CONCACAF president from 1990-2011 before he resigned amid a FIFA ethics probe, is among nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives who were indicted in New York on Wednesday.

Prior to his arrest, Warner claimed he has never even been questioned by the FBI in regard to its investigation.

“I have been afforded no due process and I have not even been questioned in this matter,” Warner said Wednesday. “I reiterate that I am innocent of any charges. I have walked away from the politics of world football.”

Warner, 72, also sent a message to U.S. authorities while appearing on TV6 in his native Trinidad & Tobago: “If the U.S. Justice Department wants me, they know where to find me. I sleep very soundly in the night.”

In addition to Warner, the other soccer officials charged in the U.S. case are CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, Julio Rocha of Nicaragua, Costas Takkas of the Cayman Islands, Rafael Esquivel of Venezuela, José Maria Marin of Brazil, and Nicolás Leoz of Paraguay.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has not been charged in the case.

Seven FIFA officials were arrested at the organization’s annual conference in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday at the behest of U.S. authorities investigating the case. Officials in Switzerland announced they are also looking into corruption allegations against FIFA regarding the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup sites.