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By Michele Gorman
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Former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner, one of the 14 officials embroiled in the organization's corruption scandal, has threatened to leak documents that he says chronicle transactions involving former President Sepp Blatter.
Speaking in a paid political advertisement titled "The Gloves Are Off" that was broadcast in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday, Warner depicted himself as a victim and said he feared "that this day may come."
Warner, 72, said he has handed over a comprehensive and detailed series of documents, including copies of checks and corroborated statements, to a third party. At one point, he asked supporters to pray for him and said he is now a "lone, isolated soldier" since being dismissed from government. He was arrested last week, then released on bail.
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"I reasonably, actually fear for my life," he said in the eight-minute video. He later added: "Retracting them is not a possibility. There can be no turning back."
In the video, Warner said he can prove links between FIFA and his country's 2010 national election. He also warned he had an "avalanche" of additional evidence.
"I will no longer keep secrets for them who now seek to destroy the country which I love," Warner said.
Despite casting himself as a victim, he appeared at a rally for his Independent Liberal Party shortly after his statement, The New York Times reported. Warner formed the party in April 2013.
Hours earlier on Wednesday, 2013 federal court documents were unsealed that showed the U.S. citizen Chuck Blazer, another former high-ranking FIFA official, admitted to accepting bribes for the 1998 and 2010 World Cups held in France and South Africa.
The U.S. Department of Justice last week charged Warner and 13 other FIFA officials with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. Just days later, Blatter resigned from his role as the leader of the soccer organization that he had held for 17 years.
"I apologize for not disclosing my knowledge of these events before," Warner said in the video.
Two of his sons, Daryan and Daryll, previously pleaded guilty under seal, according to the Department of Justice. In October 2013, Daryan Warner pleaded guilty to a three-count indictment that included charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. His brother forfeited more than $1.1 million around the time of his plea and has agreed to pay a second forfeiture money judgment at the time of sentencing, according to the department.
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