By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Bahamas Football Association’s (BFA) secretary general Lionel Haven told The Tribune on Monday that he didn’t do anything wrong other than tell the truth and he should not be suspended by FIFA.

In a ruling handed down by FIFA’s Code of Ethics (FCE) last week, Haven has been banned from taking part in any football-related activity at national and international level (administrative, sports or any other) for a period of five years.

Haven also felt that it was unfair for him to be fined $3,000 within 30 days of notification of the ruling.

Speaking for the first time since the ruling was handed down on Friday, Haven said when the investigation started in 2011, over the distribution of cash gifts handed over to delegates at a meeting on May 10, 2011 in Trinidad & Tobago, he complied with the Investigatory Chambers about his involvement.

In the Investigatory Chambers’ report it was documented that “Mr Haven stated that he did not know what was going on inside the boardroom (at the meeting) and that he did not enter the room on May 10, 2011.

“The Investigatory Chamber deems that statement to be credible and there is no evidence to the contrary. There is also no evidence that Mr Haven knew of the gifts handed out to the delegates or that he was in other ways involved in this.”It was further disclosed that “there is no evidence that Mr Haven was involved with the planning or the handing out of cash gifts.”

Speaking yesterday, Haven said: “They themselves exonerated me from the activities that were taking place.

“They have said that they have established that Mr Haven had learnt from several sources that cash gifts of considerable amounts had been handed out to the delegates.”

Haven said the Investigatory Chamber said even if he could not be entirely positive about whether this had actually happened – as he only knew it from hearsay – he had a duty to report this incident either to the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), to CONCACAF or to FIFA, since a potential breach of FCE provisions was evident.

“This was a CFU meeting and I had resigned from the BFA in February of that year and I only attended this as a meeting of the CFU,” he said. “They confirmed that I had no evidence of what took place or any involvement.”

It was discovered that during the meeting, considerable amounts of money had been given out to quite a few individuals, there was a systematic course of action that was clearly connected to the upcoming FIFA Presidential Elections – with the meeting’s main purpose being the presentation of a candidate to the CFU delegates.

The Investigatory Chamber indicated that “by not reporting the cash gifts given out to the CFU delegates, Mr Haven evidently violated his duty of reporting according to act. 18.

“On the other hand, there is no evidence that Mr Haven was involved with the planning or the handing out of cash gifts. Therefore, the Investigatory Chamber sees no reason to take any further action against Mr Haven in this regard.”

Based on the report, Haven said they exonerated him from any wrongdoing because he was not allowed in the room as he wasn’t representing any federation.

“They say that I did not report this information,” Haven said. “What they did was they used my affirmation by their investigating officer, who came to the Bahamas, interviewed me and I advised him that I was there where the board meeting was held, but was only told by Mr Fred Lunn, the new BFA secretary general that there was more than enough money given out that ‘neither you or I could take to the US’.

“He told me that $40,000 was given out in the boardroom. He entered the boardroom again and I departed the area. Fred went back to give the money. That was what I confirmed to their investigating officer.”

Haven said what surprised him in 2011, was that FIFA had banned six officials from the Caribbean Football Union ranging from six days to two years for ethics violations.

“These guys accepted money and they denied it and the maximum ban for them is two years,” Haven said. “Why does someone who hasn’t taken anything, wasn’t involved in it and the only charge they could muster up is that he didn’t report it immediately, I presume, after the event, was hit with this ludicrous ban and fine.”

BFA president Anton Sealey said they wholeheartedly stand behind Haven because they are also convinced that he didn’t do anything wrong.

“Lionel has worked with the BFA for a number of years,” Sealey said. “He was a dedicated and committed general secretary, who helped us achieve much of what we are being credited for today.”

“We are confident and satisfied that his involvement in this, is as he stated, because I spoke to him immediately after having reported it, and I’m satisfied that he had no involvement in this and we stand behind him.”

Haven, who served as secretary general from 1996-2011, said as he’s no longer involved in football, he doesn’t see why he should be suspended.

“I have to give this some thought,” he said. “I know there is an appeal progress. The appeal process has some exorbitant fees,” he said. “Do I deem it worthy to go through the process to have my name cleared? From the time the event happened to now, I know that I didn’t do anything wrong.“They did their own investigation and their investigation confirmed it.

“So I have to give it some thought and see whether it’s worth it going through that process in getting a suspension thrown out from an organisation that I am no longer affiliated with.”