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Jack Warner unleashes his ‘tsunami’ with Blatter and Valcke accusations

• Follow all the latest updates on our live blog • Suspended vice-president threatens to tear Fifa apart Fifa has been rocked further as Sepp Blatter and Jérôme Valcke, its two most senior figures, were accused of a “politically motivated” subversion of the presidential election process by one of the men suspended in the ethics committee inquiry. Jack Warner was the vice-president who had spent almost 30 years on Fifa’s executive committee until his provisional suspension on Sunday. Now he threatens to tear Fifa apart from within, challenging his suspension through the courts. As a first step he has opened a front on Valcke, who is Fifa’s top mandarin as its general secretary. Warner has disclosed an incendiary email in which Valcke discussed the presidential election campaign of the Qatari Fifa executive-committee member Mohamed bin Hammam, who was suspended on Sunday. In the message Valcke appears to accuse Qatar of “buying” the World Cup. “‘For MBH, I never understood why he was running,’” Valcke’s email states. “‘If really he thought he had a chance or just being an extreme way to express how much he does not like anymore JSB [Blatter]. Or he thought you can buy Fifa as they [Qatar] bought the WC.” Valcke has confirmed the email but said it has been quoted selectively. “It was a private email and we will discuss it,” Valcke said on Monday. “He sent me an email asking if I want that [Bin Hammam to run], he said I should ask Bin Hammam to pull out.” Qatar 2022 said it is considering its next steps. Valcke’s comments to Warner about Bin Hammam cast doubt on his own impartiality in the election process. According to Warner’s statement Valcke, who is known to believe that he would be dismissed from Fifa were Bin Hammam to have won Wednesday’s election, added in the email: “I have a bet since day one, he will withdraw but on June 1st after his 10 min speech. “He will get some votes. Less than 60 today after CAF support. It will be the ‘coup de grace’ if you would officially send a message as the Concacaf president by saying Concacaf supports unanimously. So I am not giving you an advice but just my feeling about what I think is the situation.” Warner, the then Concacaf president, refused to offer that support. He claims what followed was evidence of the political “bias” of Fifa’s administration in favour of the incumbent president, since it was Valcke who set the ball rolling on the inquiry that has led to the suspensions of Bin Hammam and Warner. “The complaints made in this matter are politically motivated against Mr Bin Hammam and me and are designed, among other things, to cause serious prejudice and damage to both Mr Bin Hammam and myself at one of the most critical times for the Fifa,” Warner said. Warner’s statement was prepared under legal advice and his case against Fifa will seek to discredit the principal accuser in the ethics committee inquiry. Concacaf’s general secretary, Chuck Blazer, ordered the Collins & Collins report into Warner and Bin Hammam’s conduct, which formed the basis of the ethics committee decision on Sunday. “It is informative for one to look at Mr Blazer’s credibility by referring to the report of the New York district court judge in the matter between Master Card and Visa in the Fifa matter of 7 December 2006,” wrote Warner, before citing the court decision. “Mr Blazer’s testimony was generally without credibility based on his attitude and demeanor on his evasive answers on cross-examination … Thus, for that reason and based on his evasive answers and his attitude and demeanor, Mr Blazer’s testimony as the 14 March 2006 Marketing & TV AG Board meeting is rejected as fabricated.” The final strand of Warner’s attack on the events that led to his suspension on Sunday is against Blatter. Warner accuses Blatter of apportioning Fifa funds for his own political ends in the final weeks before Wednesday’s election. “I also indicated that at the Miami Concacaf congress on 3 May Mr Blatter made a gift of $1m to Concacaf to spend as it deems fit,” Warner said. “This annoyed [Uefa's] president Michel Platini who was present and he approached Valcke complaining that Mr Blatter had no permission from the finance committee to make this gift to which Jérôme [sic] replied that he will find the money for Mr Blatter.” The president of a Concacaf federation, in Zurich for a special caucus of the Caribbean, Central and North American confederation, has confirmed that this award had been made. It was in favour of two Goal projects of the confederation’s choosing. Fifa Football politics Sepp Blatter Jack Warner Mohamed bin Hammam Matt Scott guardian.co.uk

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Fifa in crisis live blog – Blatter to face media amid Warner allegations | Jamie Jackson

• Warner makes claims against Sepp Blatter in Fifa scandal • Blatter in clear, Bin Hamman and Warner both suspended 11.04am: PA’s Martyn Ziegler reports on Twitter: FIFA secretary general, Jerome Valcke, confirms email he sent Warner suggesting the 2022 World Cup was “bought” was genuine. “It was a private email.” 11.04am: An independent Australian senator, Nick Xenophon, has stated his country should not spend on anymore World Cup bids until the Fifa sort their house out. He says: “You wonder whether we should continue to invest millions of dollars in bids for events we’ll never even be in the running to win. “Until the investigation into FIFA has has been completed, Australia must hold off spending any more taxpayers’ money on any future World Cup bids.” Oz’s bill for their doomed 2022 bid was around £30m. 10.50am: Warner has also said that 13 federations had written to the ethics committee, backing him up. Al Jazeera, the Qatari owned TV station, is reporting the news regarding Qatar’s Bin Hammam straight here . The order of play, as it were: • Yesterday , Sepp Blatter was cleared by Fifa’s ethics committee, while Mohamed bin Hammam and Jack Warner was suspended. • Warner has begun to reveal his so-called “tsunami” of claims, starting with these : “I indicated that at the Miami Concacaf Congress on 3 May Mr Blatter made a gift of $1m to Concacaf to spend as it deems fit. This annoyed [Uefa] president Michel Platini who was present and he approached secretary general Jerome Valcke complaining that Mr Blatter had no permission from the finance committee to make this gift to which Jerome replied that he will find the money for Mr Blatter. “I also indicated … Fifa through Mr Blatter organised gifts of laptops and projectors to all members of the Caribbean and no objections have been made … to date.” • Starting this afternoon: Fifa’s executive committee meets in Zurich. • At 5pm there will be a Blatter media conference. Fifa Sepp Blatter Jack Warner Football politics Jamie Jackson guardian.co.uk

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Yemeni demonstrators killed as troops raid protest camp

Medical workers say at least 20 dead as Republican Guards use tanks and bulldozers to clear activists in city of Taiz Hundreds of soldiers loyal to Yemen’s embattled president have stormed a protest camp in a southern city and fired on the crowds indiscriminately, killing at least 20 people, according to medical officials and witnesses. The city of Taiz has been a hotbed of anti-government protests since crowds began calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ouster in early February. The heavy crackdown there signalled Saleh was still intent on preserving his 33-year rule despite the upheaval, intense international pressure to step aside and defections by key allies and some army units. Security forces first tried to clear the square in Taiz on Monday with water cannon, tear gas and sound bombs, sending thousands rushing for shelter. Forces from the Republican Guard, which is commanded by one of Saleh’s sons, then moved in before dawn with tanks and bulldozers, said Sadek al-Shugaa, the head of a field hospital at the protest camp. Republican Guard soldiers along with security forces and armed men in civilian clothes attacked the protesters. Some set fire to dozens of tents used by the demonstrators, and bulldozers ran over hundreds of other tents without checking whether any protesters were still inside, two witnesses said. One of them, Mohammed al-Zarafi, said he saw tents being set on fire while injured protesters were still inside. The other witness, protester Boushra al-Maqtali, called the attack “a real massacre”. “The square and the (field) hospital are in ruins,” she said. “The tanks took the place of hundreds of tents that were set up there. The artillery units are occupying the whole space to make it impossible for the youth to return to the square,” she said. Troops also attacked the Majeedi hotel overlooking the square, where journalists were detained, Shugaa said. Then snipers took over the top of the building to shoot at protesters. Amateur video aired by al-Jazeera TV showed masked men with rifles shooting from rooftops at the protesters in the street. Shugaa said “most of the injuries are critical in the head, chest and neck”. He said several dozen of the injured were dragged away by security forces and vanished. Yemen Middle East Arab and Middle East unrest Protest guardian.co.uk

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British man dies from Portugal assault

Fears of gang targeting tourists after Ian Haggath was beaten up in Albufeira two weeks ago and died last Wednesday A British man has died in hospital after being attacked two weeks ago near his hotel in Portugal. Ian Haggath, 50, from Dunston near Gateshead, was beaten up in Albufeira. He died from his injuries last Wednesday. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “I can confirm the death of a British national in Faro on May 25. We are in touch with the family and we are providing consular assistance.” According to reports Haggath suffered serious head injuries after being attacked by four people. There is speculation that the same gang is responsible for attacking two other tourists this year. According to the Daily Mirror, David Hoban, 44, from Dublin was stabbed in the same area of Albufeira in April but survived. A few days before Darren Lackie, 22, a soldier from Fife, was found in the street with a head injury and died. Portugal guardian.co.uk

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British man dies from Portugal assault

Fears of gang targeting tourists after Ian Haggath was beaten up in Albufeira two weeks ago and died last Wednesday A British man has died in hospital after being attacked two weeks ago near his hotel in Portugal. Ian Haggath, 50, from Dunston near Gateshead, was beaten up in Albufeira. He died from his injuries last Wednesday. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “I can confirm the death of a British national in Faro on May 25. We are in touch with the family and we are providing consular assistance.” According to reports Haggath suffered serious head injuries after being attacked by four people. There is speculation that the same gang is responsible for attacking two other tourists this year. According to the Daily Mirror, David Hoban, 44, from Dublin was stabbed in the same area of Albufeira in April but survived. A few days before Darren Lackie, 22, a soldier from Fife, was found in the street with a head injury and died. Portugal guardian.co.uk

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British man dies from Portugal assault

Fears of gang targeting tourists after Ian Haggath was beaten up in Albufeira two weeks ago and died last Wednesday A British man has died in hospital after being attacked two weeks ago near his hotel in Portugal. Ian Haggath, 50, from Dunston near Gateshead, was beaten up in Albufeira. He died from his injuries last Wednesday. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “I can confirm the death of a British national in Faro on May 25. We are in touch with the family and we are providing consular assistance.” According to reports Haggath suffered serious head injuries after being attacked by four people. There is speculation that the same gang is responsible for attacking two other tourists this year. According to the Daily Mirror, David Hoban, 44, from Dublin was stabbed in the same area of Albufeira in April but survived. A few days before Darren Lackie, 22, a soldier from Fife, was found in the street with a head injury and died. Portugal guardian.co.uk

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Dominic West: ‘People seem to think I’m Satan’

Famous for his role as a hard-bitten detective in The Wire, he is starring in a Simon Gray play as Butley, ‘a man with no soul’, as the serial killer Fred West in a forthcoming TV drama – and then he’s playing Iago ‘Come on then, ‘it me if yer think yer ‘ard enough, yer big queer, yer big fruit,” shouts Dominic West unpleasantly from his seat on a banquette in one of Ealing’s leading eateries . I look in the mirror above West’s head: diners are definitely staring at our table now, perhaps looking forward to coffee while watching a splendid homoerotic brawl. As when Alan Bates and Oliver Reed went nude mano-a-mano in Ken

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Dinner and a movie? How about dinner at the movies? Many moviegoers aren’t stopping at the concession stand before the show begins, theaters find, so they’re trying a new tactic: serving full-fledged meals at viewers’ seats. At an AMC in Kansas City, for instance, viewers can reserve luxury seats with…

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Say bonjour to a whole new McDonald’s chicken sandwich. The fast food giant is ditching its Italian-flavored chicken breast in favor of a French-flavored one in its grilled chicken sandwiches, reports the Christian Science Monitor . Made-in-the-US purists shouldn’t start moaning sacré bleu , however: The move is part of a bid…

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Pop Quiz: What’s the best way to describe a 4,700-pound chandelier? If you want to work at Groupon, your answer should be “More brilliant than a studious Christmas tree.” That’s an actual question the booming Internet company asks its prospective employees, reports the New York Times in an in-depth…

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