Unconfirmed reports over the weekend claimed that CONCACAF's Executive Committee will shortly name VP for Central America Ariel Alvarado to succeed Chuck Blazer as General Secretary. The first such report was Tweeted by Diego Cora of ESPN Deportes, who claims he heard it was a done deal.
Other sources aren't so sure, and I think it may be more a case of wishful thinking than anything else. While there's little doubt that Alvarado wants (and needs) the job, the smart money is looking for a Mexican to fill the spot.
Because make no mistake: Mexico is now driving the process.
A big part of the reason is that CONCACAF VP Justino Compean holds the balance of power on the ExCo right now and Sunil Gulati surely reasons that, in his suddenly weakened position, he's better off going along with the Mexican than letting the center of administrative power leave North America.
Sooner or later – at this point it's slated for the Ordinary Congress in 2013 – CONCACAF is going to hold a Presidential election and someone from the Caribbean, most likely The Captain, will win in a walk, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. The ExCo needs to have the GenSec in place and established by then or risk that ending up with some real piece of sewage like Patrick John or Colin Klass.
(In the meantime, the CFU will elect a new President on November 20, and the best part is that since Jack Warner still hasn't handed over the office keys, records, bank account books or anything else they'll get to start with a clean slate. Dead broke, of course, since Jack still has whatever money there was, but CONCACAF and/or FIFA will undoubtedly take care of that rather than make a fuss.
Someone really ought to ask intrepid investigative journalist Andrew Jennings when it is he's going to stop shamelessly retailing the documents that Warner is shoveling his way in an effort to make simple receipts for openly contracted work seem like capital crimes and instead start talking about how his new BFF has nakedly stolen the CFU from it's rightful owners.
Instead Jennings seems blissfully content to peddle the theory that Warner woke up one morning and said, "You know, I think I'll just have the accounting department send Chuck Blazer an easily traceable illegal $57,000 check drawn on the CFU, because, dammit, he's a swell guy", without questioning for a moment if maybe there was a little more involved. Or asking himself why it is that nobody else is being allowed to see the files.)
In any case, there are still serious questions about whose side Compean was on in that hotel room in Zurich where the ExCo met and suspended Lisle Austin for trying to illegally fire Blazer.
Because like everybody else in the real world, as opposed to over in Cloud-Coo-Coo Land, he and his federation have an agenda. Not a thing wrong with that. The only shame is in pretending that it's not true.
Fact is, Mexico believes that they deserve more influence within CONCACAF because they think of themselves, not the US, as the real regional football powerhouse, and by whatever yardstick you care to name they have a legitimate argument.
This is hardball, people. This is about politics and power and money. Take your wishful thinking, namby-pamby, sissyass delusions about the family of world football, Fair Play and the brotherhood of sport elsewhere if you want to avoid having me mock your stupid ass.
Either way, Andrew Jennings and the childish, pompous, self-appointed circle jerk which calls itself (or rather himself) ChangeFIFA have much to celebrate today: FIFA remains a den of arrogant, bribe taking criminals, hard core racists, anti-semites and ruthless thieves, but that vintage Merc they have their little panties so much in a wad about will soon be moving out of FIFA's parking garage.
What a victory for us all.
Because make no mistake: there won't be another American running CONCACAF in your lifetime. Or your children's. In fact, it might very well never happen again. Blazer was the first and could very well be the last.
And it'll be a good long while before there's another American on FIFA's ExCo, either. Get used to being on the outside looking in.
CONCACAF will return to the bad old days circa 1990 when nobody had to consider anything the US had to say about a damned thing – and instead of having a former USSF VP (and close personal friend of the President) sitting there in Zurich with a vote and a voice, we'll now have about as much influence as Belize and Antigua.
You know that backwater federation that Grant Wahl was hoping he could talk into nominating him because they didn't matter anyway and had nothing to lose?
USA! USA! USA!
Jack Warner gets his revenge on Blazer, the CFU (the majority of which is currently in the process of being investigated for wanton corruption) gets to celebrate moving the confederation out of the US and FIFA can now have someone who WILL take massive bribes from Russia since the last guy always refused to cooperate.
Break out the champagne.
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