Lisle Austin

Lisle Austin
President of CONCACAF
In office
30 May 2011 – 4 June 2011
Preceded by Jack Warner
Succeeded by Alfredo Hawit
Personal details
Born Lisle Austin
April 26, 1936

Lisle Austin is the former President of the Barbados Football Association. On 30 May 2011, he was appointed temporary President of CONCACAF, in place of Jack Warner after Warner's suspension from football activities.[1]

On the day of his appointment, he attempted to remove Chuck Blazer from his position as General Secretary of CONCACAF. However, he was informed by a majority of the Executive Committee that he lacked any authority to do so.[2] In response, Austin suggested that Article 29 of CONCACAF's statutes, which states that the President is the "judicial and extrajudicial" representative of the Confederation, somehow provided him the authority to hire and fire the General Secretary. However, Article 28(c) of CONCACAF's statutes expressly states that it is the Executive Committee's responsibility to "appoint the General Secretary."[3]

A majority of the Executive Committee responded to Austin's assertion of authority by suspending him, stating that he was being "banned from all football activities within CONCACAF and at the national level ... for apparent infringement of the CONCACAF Statutes."[4]

The removal of Austin and his predecessor Jacker Warner caused a divide between some of the Caribbean Football Union nations and the North and Central American nations. Lisle took out an injunction in a Bahamian court where Judge Stephen Isaacs attempted to prohibit CONCACAF “from interfering with Lisle Austin in the discharge of his duties as acting president”[5]

In its official response to Austin's attempt to overrule the CONCACAF Executive by means of a civil injunction, FIFA's Disciplinary Committee banned Austin from any participation in football for one year, and until he withdrew his legal plea from the Bahamian court.[6]

References

  1. ↑ New CONCACAF Chief Turns on Blazer, Eurosport, 30 May 2011
  2. ↑ "UNAUTHORIZED ACTION TAKEN VERSUS CONCACAF GENERAL SECRETARY; BLAZER CONTINUES AS CONCACAF GENERAL SECRETARY". CONCACAF. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  3. ↑ "CONCACAF STATUTES" (PDF). CONCACAF. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "LISLE AUSTIN PROVISIONALLY SUSPENDED; ALFREDO HAWIT ASSUMES ROLE AS ACTING PRESIDENT OF CONCACAF". CONCACAF. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
  5. ↑ "postheadericon More Wrangling within CONCACAF". CFU. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  6. ↑ http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/news/newsid=1490214/index.html

External links