(L-R)JAMES... if they have done any wrongs they would have to be men and stand up to them. STEPHENSON... It is too early to comment. WEBB... indicted on multiple charges by US prosecuters. Photo: Jamaica Observer

Among those indicted by the US Attorney General office are senior football functionaries in South America, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Jeffrey Webb, FIFA vice-president and president of CONCACAF, and his predecessor Jack Warner were among those indicted. Webb replaced Warner after the latter was forced to step down in the wake of another whirlwind scandal back in 2011.

James believes that the investigations have dealt a tremendous blow to the credibility of FIFA.

"Majority of FIFA people are hard-working and committed people. It is just a few bad eggs whose actions ultimately affect everybody, but it should not affect the voting of the congress," he told the Jamaica Observer in a telephone interview yesterday.

Having last spoken with the current president of FIFA Sepp Blatter in 2011, James said the power-broker "understood" the need to rebuild the image of FIFA as one corruption after another involving top officials has tainted the image of the global body.

He added that he does not see any big change, if any at all, in the culture of how FIFA is run as Blatter, who has led for 17 years, is likely to be re-elected tomorrow at the voting congress in Zurich.

With regarde to Warner, James said he was a very strong and experienced hands-on kind of president when he took over, and had rebuilt CONCACAF with the help of others. In the case of the Caymanian Webb, the man who was brought in to restore the credibility of CONCACAF and to stamp out corruption following the departure of Warner in 2011, "is the exact opposite".

James maintained though that if the two were found to be guilty, they would have to face the consequences.

"If they have done any wrongs they would have to be men and stand up to them," said James.

Ambassador Stewart Stephenson, president of the Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA), told the Observer that he does not wish to comment at this stage on the ongoing investigation.

"It is too early, let us be patient and wait until the investigations have ended," he said.

US prosecutors yesterday accused 14 officials of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering, among other charges. Seven of the 14 were held in Zurich, and are accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than US$150 million over a 24-year period, beginning in 1991.

Swiss prosecutors have also opened a separate investigation into the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.

"I don't think it will affect the World Cup that much, because FIFA is the strongest sporting organisation in the world and has in reserve some US$1.5 billion, which is the envy of all sporting associations.

"The world cup structures are good; they are solid and they make money off these World Cups. So I don't really think it will affect the World Cup," James argued.

Meanwhile, sports analyst Cliff Williams believes this ongoing saga will definitely spark some changes in FIFA's personnel and operations.

"This is not good for the image of FIFA or its administration. These are some serious allegations which are not good for football and FIFA will not be the same," said Williams.

-- Additional reporting by Kimone Francis