Topic: FIFA
FIFA Council approves regulations to reshape women’s football leadership
The FIFA Council has approved groundbreaking new regulations designed to increase the number of women in leadership roles within the sport.
Two new officials boost Cayman’s FIFA representation
Cayman has reached a historic milestone in football officiating with the release of the FIFA 2026 International Referees List, which sees the territory’s representation grow to an all-time high of eight officials.
Cayman prepares for World Cup Qualifier matches
The Cayman Islands men's national team is gearing up for matches against Bermuda and Honduras next month in the CONCACAF FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Cayman football joins FIFA concussion campaign
FIFA has launched a global concussion awareness campaign, encouraging all member associations to promote the initiative to help mitigate concussion risks across all levels of football.
Cayman’s last-minute goal secures historic World Cup qualifier victory
Celebrations of full-fledged pride were on display following a dramatic home win on Saturday as Cayman took on visiting Antigua and Barbuda in a World Cup CONCACAF qualifier.
Top striker wants financial guarantees to play for Cayman
As the Cayman Islands national men’s football team prepares to kick off its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign next month, it will do so without top striker Leighton Thomas Jr. due to a disagreement over remuneration.
$7 million soccer facility planned as FIFA funding floods back in to local game
Cayman football chiefs are planning a new floodlit mini-stadium, with three pitches and dormitories for visiting teams, after FIFA unfroze grant funding to the jurisdiction.
Cayman drops two games in international tour
The Cayman Islands men’s national football team competed in Europe twice this week, in games against FC Turan, a professional club from Kazakhstan, and Moldova.
Seven injured as gunman opens fire at football game
At least seven people have been injured after a gunman opened fire at a Cayman Islands Premier League football match.
Football season in turmoil amid transfer chaos
The upcoming senior Cayman Islands Football Association season could be in jeopardy of losing players and/or entire clubs, following major complications involving recently imposed transfer regulations.
CIFA: Clubs need to pay transfer fees for players
Cayman clubs can be required to pay transfer fees for players seeking to switch allegiance, football officials have confirmed.
The policy is causing frustration among...
Special report: The men who scammed the beautiful game
While Cayman has no involvement in the World Cup, its administrators were heavily implicated in a kickback scandal dubbed the ‘World Cup of fraud’, the repercussions of which rumble on to this day.
Fidelity removed CIFA property charge after CONCACAF card deal
Fidelity agreed to remove a charge on CIFA property securing a loan after receiving a US$500,000 deposit from CONCACAF in relation to a prepaid card services contract given to the bank.
Jeffrey Webb was lining up ‘war chest’ for FIFA presidency bid, trial hears
Allies of former Cayman football chief Jeffrey Webb were seeking to line up a $100 million 'fighting fund' to help install him as the top official in the world game, a court heard last week.
National footballers log complaints against CIFA
Senior members of the Cayman Islands national football team are concerned that the behaviour of the officials who run the sport is jeopardising their chances of success on the pitch.
CIFA set to appeal US$55,500 fine
The Cayman Islands Football Association is seeking to appeal the FIFA Disciplinary Committee decision to fine CIFA US$55,500.
The proposed fine stems from incidents at...
Aruba defeats Cayman Islands in World Cup qualifier
The Cayman Islands played their third World Cup qualifying match Wednesday evening, 2 June, at the IMG Soccer Stadium in Florida against Aruba, where...
FIFA fines Cayman Football Association, temporarily bans Alfredo Whittaker
FIFA has fined the Cayman football association (CIFA) CHF 50,000 (US$55,500) and banned its president, Alfredo Whittaker, from official duties involving Cayman’s national team.
Webb still awaits sentencing 6 years after arrest
Disgraced former FIFA Vice-President, CONCACAF President and Cayman Islands Football Association President Jeffrey Webb still has not been sentenced on the six year anniversary of his arrest in one of global sports biggest corruption scandals.
FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against CIFA
FIFA last week opened disciplinary proceedings against the Cayman Islands Football Association over 'incidents' during Cayman's 29 March World Cup qualifying match against Canada.
Trio to face trial on football fraud charges
Charmaine Moss and Canover Watson returned to Grand Court on Friday to face charges of fraud and corruption relating to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).
FIFA bans former CONCACAF general secretary Sanz for life
The football world governing body FIFA imposed a lifetime ban on Enrique Sanz, a former general secretary of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), after finding him guilty of bribery.
Football exec Blake vows to fight corruption charges
Football executive Bruce Blake has vowed to “vigorously defend” himself against corruption allegations after being charged with multiple offences late last week.
FIFA signals CIFA will receive renewed funding
Cayman was welcomed back into the global football community Friday, when FIFA President Gianni Infantino led a delegation to visit the headquarters of the Cayman Islands Football Association.
Former football officials Watson, Blake charged
Two former senior officials of the Cayman Islands Football Association have been charged with a string of offences, including money laundering and false accounting, in connection with an ongoing corruption probe.
NEW: FIFA president to visit Cayman on Friday
The regional and global heads of the international game of football will be in Cayman Friday.
FIFA Scandal: Blazer lawsuit settled in CONCACAF’s favour
Regional football body CONCACAF has settled a lawsuit against the estate of Charles ‘Chuck’ Blazer in which it accused the former secretary general of the organisation of having used New York, Delaware and Cayman Islands companies and bank accounts to cheat CONCACAF out of millions of dollars between the early 1990s and 2011.
EDITORIAL – CIFA officials must leave no room for doubt
As a highly visible, youth-focused organisation, CIFA must embody the highest ethical principles. As role models for our children and representatives of our islands overseas, they should conduct themselves as leaders – with integrity, accountability, honesty and openness.
FIFA to resume funding Cayman football
The findings of an audit into the finances of the Cayman Islands Football Association will not be made public, the association’s president Alfredo Whittaker has said.
Shaka Hislop: Football corruption has not changed since FIFA case
Despite the waves that the FIFA corruption case has made worldwide, and particularly in the Caribbean, following the arrest and guilty plea of former CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb and other national and regional football bosses, nothing has changed, according to former football professional Shaka Hislop.
Webb seeks 8th new sentence date in FIFA racketeering probe
Cayman Islands businessman Jeffrey Webb has asked that a U.S. court delay his sentencing in connection with the ongoing FIFA racketeering probe again.
Court approves Webb’s 7th sentence date
By the time Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb is sentenced over his role in the FIFA racketeering scandal, it will have been nearly three years since he pleaded guilty to seven criminal charges in the investigation.
Cayman’s Webb to get seventh sentencing date
Former FIFA Vice President and Cayman Islands businessman Jeffrey Webb’s sentencing date in U.S. federal court is likely to be delayed again, according to court documents released this week.
US court gives Webb more time to pay
A U.S. federal court has given FIFA racketeering defendant Jeffrey Webb six more months to pay what he owes to the government following his guilty plea in connection with the probe.
Attorney: Webb trying to sell Georgia properties
FIFA racketeering defendant and Cayman Islands businessman Jeffrey Webb is trying to sell his remaining properties in Georgia, USA, as part of an asset forfeiture agreement with American authorities, according to U.S. court records made public Monday.
Webb FIFA sentencing set for sixth time
Cayman businessman Jeffrey Webb’s sentencing in the FIFA corruption scandal has been put off again by a U.S. federal court, meaning the admitted racketeer will not learn his fate until March – nearly three years after his May 2015 arrest.
FIFA defendant Takkas to appeal sentence
Former Cayman Islands Football Association official and U.K. national Costas Takkas signaled his intention to appeal a 15-month prison sentence handed down last month for his role in world football’s racketeering and bribery scandal.
FIFA defendant Takkas agrees to deportation to UK
Former Cayman Islands resident Costas Takkas has agreed to be deported to the United Kingdom once he finishes serving a federal prison sentence in the U.S. for money laundering, according to court documents made public this week.
FIFA defendant Takkas gets 15-month sentence
Former Cayman Islands football official and U.K. national Costas Takkas received a 15-month prison sentence Tuesday in U.S. federal court, but he will only be required to serve five months of it.
US prosecutors approve sale of Webb’s Georgia mansion
American prosecutors agreed to accept cash from the sale of FIFA defendant Jeffrey Webb’s home in Loganville, Georgia, rather than seizing the property itself, according to records filed with a Brooklyn-area court Monday.
US$3 million sought from FIFA defendant Takkas
Attorneys for world football’s Central/North American and Caribbean region have asked a U.S. court to order FIFA corruption defendant and former Cayman Islands resident Costas Takkas to pay US$3 million to the Caribbean Football Union in recompense for bribe money ultimately given to Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb.
Webb gets time to sell U.S. homes
Former FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb has asked a U.S. court for more time to pay off US$1.7 million owed as part of an asset forfeiture agreement made after his 2015 guilty plea to racketeering and money laundering charges.
Webb attorneys ‘conflict’ case heard, issue dismissed
Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb waived his legal right to “unconflicted counsel,” agreeing to continue with his current law firm, though it is also representing another defendant in the FIFA corruption case.
Sentencing for FIFA defendant Takkas set for Oct. 31
Longtime Cayman Islands resident and former Jeffrey Webb attaché Costas Takkas will be sentenced Oct. 31 in a U.S. federal court. Takkas, who pleaded guilty in May, will learn his fate in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, according to court records.
US: Webb’s attorneys in ‘potential conflict’
Prosecutors in the FIFA corruption scandal have asked for a special hearing to explore whether the law firm representing Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb has a conflict of interest in the case.
Football association Vice President arrested
Local attorney and Cayman Islands Football Association Vice President Bruce Blake was arrested last week in connection with a corruption and money laundering probe.
Court: Webb may relocate, travel within US
Convicted racketeer Jeffrey Webb will be allowed to travel within the continental United States during the period before his sentencing in connection with the ongoing FIFA bribery scandal, a U.S. district court judge ruled last week.
Sentencing for Webb postponed for fifth time
Former FIFA Vice President and Cayman Islands businessman Jeffrey Webb will have to wait until 2018 to learn his fate in connection with the ongoing racketeering and bribery scandal that has enveloped world football’s governing body.
Webb to sell US home, seeks travel permission
A Georgia, USA mansion that both Cayman Islands and U.S. prosecutors allege was bought with the proceeds of fraudulent activity is being sold by its owner, Caymanian businessman Jeffrey Webb, his attorneys confirmed Monday. The proceeds of the sale of the house at 2116 Adel Drive in Loganville, Georgia will be turned over to the American federal court as part of an asset forfeiture agreement.
Former Cayman resident Takkas pleads guilty in FIFA case
Costas Takkas, a former business partner and attaché for Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in U.S. federal court Wednesday as part of the ongoing FIFA racketeering and bribery investigation.
EDITORIAL – The quality of Cayman crime: (Not good enough!)
The Cayman Islands is one of the world’s foremost offshore financial centers, home to complex multibillion-dollar corporate structures. Accordingly, you would think that the crimes committed here would tend to be really smart. Not so.
Webb sentencing date put back to July
Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb has had his sentencing date put off for the fourth time since he pleaded guilty to racketeering and money laundering conspiracy charges in the FIFA bribery scandal.
Jeffrey Webb struck off voters list
Former FIFA Vice President Jeffrey Webb was excluded from voting in the May general election during voter objection hearings in Bodden Town Wednesday. During the hearings, other Caymanians who expected to be on the voter rolls found out they were not. Webb was crossed off the list in the district of Savannah, following his conviction for racketeering in the U.S. He is due to be sentenced on May 11 – just two weeks before Cayman’s May 24 vote.
Third sentencing date set for Cayman’s Webb
After two earlier attempts to sentence him in connection with the FIFA bribery scandal were put off, Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb is now due to appear before a U.S. federal court judge in May. Webb, 52, is now due to learn his fate in connection with the FIFA probe on May 11 at 10.
Attorneys seek half-year delay in Webb’s sentencing
It may be at least another six months before Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb learns his fate in the ongoing FIFA corruption probe. Webb’s attorney Edward O’Callaghan filed a request with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday asking the court to adjourn the sentencing date.
FIFA trial set for November 2017
A U.S. federal court has set Nov. 6, 2017 as the start date for what prosecutors expect will be at least a two-month trial for eight defendants charged in the FIFA corruption probe.
UPDATE: World football body bans Webb for life
World football’s governing body, FIFA, banned its former vice president Jeffrey Webb for life Friday following a lengthy investigation by the organization’s ethics panel.
Webb’s sentencing set for November
Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb will not learn his sentence in the FIFA racketeering investigation until at least November, according to officials in the U.S. District Court for New York State’s Eastern District.
Update: Webb sentencing put off
Cayman Islands businessman Jeffrey Webb faces potential prison time and deportation in connection with his role in the ongoing FIFA racketeering and bribery scandal at his sentencing hearing, scheduled for Friday in U.S. federal court.
Government will not play ball with CIFA
Sports Minister Osbourne Bodden says there will be no peace deal between government and the Cayman Islands Football Association until the entire executive committee has put itself up for free and fair elections.
Past football star Ramoon takes over cash-strapped CIFA
Former Cayman Islands national football team captain Lee Ramoon was elected Saturday to serve as president of the Cayman Islands Football Association.
Webb, Takkas get privileges granted by court
FIFA racketeering defendant Jeffrey Webb has been granted permission by a U.S. federal court to travel farther from his suburban Atlanta, Georgia, home in order to provide care for his young son, court records released Friday stated.
Deportation ‘likely’ after Webb guilty plea
Cayman businessman Jeffrey Webb faces up to a 20-year sentence, possible deportation and additional fines in exchange for his November guilty plea to racketeering and fraud-related charges in connection with the ongoing FIFA probe in the U.S.
US court refuses bid for Webb plea deal
A U.S. federal court judge refused a news organization’s bid on Friday for documents disclosing details of a plea agreement with Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb and two other high-profile defendants in the ongoing FIFA corruption probe.
FIFA corruption trial date vacated
A criminal trial date set last week for the remaining defendants in the FIFA corruption probe under way in the U.S. was vacated just a few days later by the American federal court judge hearing the case.
Ex-CONCACAF chief Hawit pleads guilty
The last president of FIFA’s regional football governing body, Alfredo Hawit, pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court Monday in connection with the ongoing FIFA racketeering and bribery probe.
Webb’s FIFA plea deal sought from US court
Details of cooperation agreements between three key defendants in the ongoing FIFA corruption investigation, including a deal struck with Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb, are being sought by a U.S.-based news organization which filed a formal request with the federal court for those records earlier this month.
FIFA defendant, ex-Cayman resident Takkas sent to US
Former Cayman Islands resident Costas Takkas was extradited to the U.S. Tuesday, after spending nearly 10 months detained in Switzerland in connection with the ongoing FIFA bribery and corruption investigation.
FIFA sues corrupt officials
World football governing body FIFA is suing its corrupt former executives, including Cayman’s Jeffrey Webb, in an attempt to claim “tens of millions of dollars” in damages.
EDITORIAL – Bad news demands a swift response
The pair of stories that lead today’s newspaper not only do damage to Cayman’s image as a transparent and well-regulated financial jurisdiction, but also challenge the substance of that assertion.
FIFA corruption case: Bribe linked to Webb, local attorney
A previously unidentified player in the international FIFA corruption probe has revealed specific football bribe payments that he told U.S. federal investigators were intended for Jeffrey Webb. One of those payments, he said, was sent to the Florida bank account of a “Caymanian attorney.”
