Mel Brennan has witnessed the evolution of global football from various vantage points. “I know what the World Cup looks like from the 17th floor of Trump Tower … I know what it looks like from a grass-strewn field in Trinidad where children cannot play because money that was supposed to maintain it went somewhere else entirely,” he explains.
Having served as an executive at Concacaf during the tumultuous era of former president Jack Warner and the late general secretary Chuck Blazer, who famously operated from Trump Tower, Brennan has a unique perspective on the sport’s governance.
As a whistleblower, he provided crucial information to investigative reporters and authorities probing extensive corruption within the organization that persisted for years. His recently published book,Fixing Football, chronicles his experiences at Concacaf.
Reflections on Corruption and Accountability
“Football survived Sepp Blatter,” he states in his book, projecting optimism for the sport’s future. “It survived Jack Warner. It survived Chuck Blazer. And it will survive Gianni Infantino.”
In a recent conversation with the press, Brennan shared his thoughts on FIFA, Concacaf, and the game’s trajectory. He was asked if he was taken aback by the 2015 raids conducted by law enforcement at a Zurich hotel and Concacaf’s Miami headquarters, which led to numerous indictments of FIFA and Concacaf officials.
No. The FBI had stopped and started dialog with me about what was going on at Concacaf. On two separate occasions I was on my way to New York to [meet] with investigators and they said, “Wait – we’re not quite ready” I literally turned my car around. So I knew something was percolating. On the other hand, I never really thought there would be comeuppance with this group.
When pressed on why he doubted accountability would emerge for the Concacaf leadership after witnessing their actions firsthand, Brennan reflected on the interconnectedness of those in power.
When I was with Concacaf, the office was on the 17th floor of Trump Tower. Chuck Blazer lived on the 49th floor. Before that, Chuck and Jack Warner shared an apartment on the 10th floor across from Donald Trump and Marla Maples. They were all so intertwined and so much a part of the interlocking elite that accountability was a distant dream.
He described Blazer and Warner not as traditional criminals but as “the institution said this now lets’s really dig in to see if this is true or not and if it is not true why didn’t they tell us the truth?” who would do whatever it took to avoid prison.
Concacaf’s Competence and Media Responsibility
Brennan was not surprised by Concacaf’s prominent role in the corruption scandals, acknowledging the organization’s lack of competence compared to other continental bodies.
No. I felt like Concacaf was among the least competent of the continental actors. You had other confederations with people who were European glitterati or ran legitimate businesses, but you didn’t really have that in Concacaf. Jack was a former history teacher but he knew that the Caribbean was a sleeping giant that could subvert the Guatemalan-Mexican football power structure at the time.
He noted that the media landscape from 1990 to 2015 also played a role in enabling the corruption, as many outlets prioritized access over investigative journalism.
So the media landscape also has to take its fair share of the blame. Often folks would want to maintain access and instead of doing investigative journalism that requires document review and truth-telling, and speaking truth to power, it was more reporting and more like Pravda rather than “Well, yeah, let’s get them in the car and get them off …”
Brennan emphasized that the financial misconduct of Warner and Blazer had significant repercussions for aspiring athletes.
The cost was that people didn’t gain access to sporting opportunities [they were entitled to through]. The football bubble and the rise in the dollars available for them should have created access.
Leadership Changes and Future Prospects
Reflecting on the roles of the United States, Canada, and Mexico in Concacaf, Brennan remarked on the involvement of former US Soccer president Sunil Gulati during his tenure.
People like Sunil Gulati were fully present when I was there. The role that Sunil played felt more like him being a World Bank guy—admiring the economic engine that Chuck and Jack had built from a distance rather than deploying the power of US Soccer to shine a light on this stuff and make a difference.
In his book, Brennan recounts a striking incident at a Concacaf conference where a group of women left the hotel at dawn, raising concerns about their treatment.
There were more than 15 and less than 30 [women]. All from the same floor. And you see how they are dressed and you see the time and see what is going on. You feel like you want to call somebody because maybe you are crazy.
When asked about changes at FIFA since his involvement, Brennan expressed skepticism about the progress made under current leadership.
Transparency International laid out a framework that would have [made things less opaque at FIFA]. FIFA could have meetings of the FIFA Council that are broadcast live and minutes that are in real time.
He questioned whether Victor Montagliani was the right choice to lead Concacaf post-crisis, suggesting that while there was potential for transformation, the fundamental issues remain unaddressed.
In the end, we still cannot see and it is not clear how Concacaf doles out its dollars. The question is, will Montagliani and other leaders step back just a moment to build something that would matter beyond themselves?
Concerns Over Sponsorship and Future Opportunities
As discussions around potential sponsorship deals with Saudi Arabia arise, Brennan voiced serious concerns.
Any nation state that is murdering journalists has to be marginalized. I would not want to see Concacaf engaging with Saudi Arabia without some sort of weight to the decision-making process of sponsorships and partnerships that included human rights records and human rights abuses.
He underscored the importance of evaluating the ramifications of such partnerships, especially concerning human rights issues.
To not have those considerations in the conversation as to whether you are going to partner with somebody is an abandonment of the spirit that makes sport matter at all.
Looking forward to the upcoming World Cup hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Brennan sees it as both a chance for growth and a challenge.
It is an opportunity. But who gets left behind?
He highlighted disparities in youth soccer participation, noting that organized youth soccer is predominantly white in his local area, while Latino communities are excluded from such opportunities.
Brennan concluded by calling for a reassessment of the structures in place and a demand for accountability from leaders to ensure inclusivity in the sport.
- This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
