Former Westchester Youth Soccer Coach at Center of FIFA Scandal

Editor’s Note: Patch is re-running this popular story in case you missed it the first time around.

Chuck Blazer, a former New Rochelle youth soccer coach who climbed the ranks of the sport’s international power structure, is at the center of the federal investigation into alleged corruption at FIFA, the world soccer governing body.

Blazer, who federal prosecutors said had illegally amassed millions of dollars over the years for which he did not pay taxes, has been an informant for the feds since 2011, reports the Daily News. He also pleaded guilty in the fall of 2013 to several felony charges, including money laundering and racketeering conspiracy.

Federal prosecutors are probing allegations of bribery and other crimes surrounding bids for World Cups in Russia and Qatar. Although FIFA is an international organization, the United States government claims much of the illegal activity occurred in the U.S.

Enter Blazer, who began coaching his son’s youth soccer teams in New Rochelle in the 1970s and slowly rose up the ladder in the sport’s executive suites to reach the highest levels of FIFA.

During his ascent, he become the head of the North American, Caribbean and Central American soccer governing body CONCACAF, according to The Journal News.

During his years at CONCACAF, he was accused of embezzling more than $20 million.

“Blazer didn’t pay his taxes,” Richard Weber, an IRS criminal investigator, told the Daily News.

That slip up gave the feds an in, and they convinced Blazer to become an informant or face prison.

Click here to read the full story on the Daily News website.

Click here to read the full story on The Journal News website.

Photo: Chuck Blazer. Photo credit: FIFA.com