U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati dodges questions about FIFA corruption scandal, relationship with Chuck Blazer

The media gets nothing out of U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati when asked about the ongoing FIFA corruption scandal. (Elise Amendola/AP)

Sunil Gulati is the president of the United States Soccer Federation and is the lone American representative on FIFA's troubled executive committee.

But his real sport is dodgeball.


On Wednesday, Gulati scurried away from the media, dodging questions with the frantic determination of Lionel Messi dribbling down the wing.

"I'm not doing any media today," Gulati told a handful of reporters at Securing Sport 2015, an annual conference organized by the Qatar-backed International Centre for Sport Security.

He used the line repeatedly to fend off international journalists who had been lured to the event with promises that Gulati would make rare public statements about the corruption crisis that has engulfed soccer.

Gulati had participated in a conference Q&A session moderated by James Carville, who seemed unprepared or unwilling to ask deep questions about the scandal that has roiled Gulati's sport. When Carville did bring up the the ongoing Justice Department investigation, he referred to it as "the elephant in the room."

Gulati didn't balk at Carville's softball question, telling the Clinton-era political pundit that he believed FIFA will ultimately reform itself.

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"At FIFA, obviously, especially since May, the Department of Justice and the Swiss government have intervened, there's been a lot of turmoil, and we're going through a process now to try to set forward a number of changes, reforms, that would prevent that from happening in the future," said Gulati, the USSF president since 2006 and a FIFA "Ex-co" member since 2013.

"I think a lot of those will pass at the FIFA Congress, next February," Gulati added. "And there's plenty of good things the organizations have done in shepherding the sport."

But when the Q&A session was over and Gulati and his entourage entered a room full of reporters at Manhattan's Harold Pratt House, he made it clear he wouldn't address further questions about FIFA and the criminal prosecutions that have brought down its president, Sepp Blatter.

Gulati also refused to answer questions about his relationship with disgraced U.S. soccer official Chuck Blazer, who began cooperating with FBI and IRS agents in 2011 before secretly pleading guilty to fraud, money laundering, and racketeering in 2013. Blazer is "Co-conspirator #1" in the 47-count indictment that a federal grand jury handed up in May, charging 14 FIFA members and sports marketing executives in a RICO conspiracy. Gulati was not charged, but his long and close relationship with Blazer makes it more than fair for journalists to ask questions, as does Gulati's role as chairman of FIFA's media committee.

It's not the first time Gulati refused to answer questions about FIFA. In July, Gulati declined to attend a hearing convened by a subcommittee of the Senate Commerce committee, letting USSF's chief executive Dan Flynn appear instead.


British journalist Andrew Jennings, who did appear before the Senate committee, told lawmakers that in July that Gulati had declined to face the Senate panel because he was a "coward" and "frightened to upset President Blatter's corrupt FIFA -- while enjoying the elite lifestyle he provides."

Here are some questions the Daily News was prepared to ask if Gulati was "doing media." The News submitted the questions to U.S. Soccer's media department.

-- What is your relationship with Chuck Blazer? How long have you known Blazer?

-- As president of the United States Soccer Federation, did you review and sign off on contracts between USSF and CONCACAF that were negotiated by Blazer? Were you aware of commissions paid directly or indirectly to Blazer?

-- Between the bribery scandal that led to Blazer's departure from international soccer circles in 2013 and the Justice Department's unsealing of its indictment in 2015, what did you as a FIFA and CONCACAF executive do to uncover fraud in either organization?

-- As a senior lecturer in economics at Columbia with experience working for the World Bank, how did you not notice the blatant irregularities in CONCACAF's financial reports while you were serving on the organization's executive committee?

-- Have you been questioned by the FBI, Justice Department prosecutors or other U.S. government investigators? Did you appear before or submit documents to the grand jury that handed up the FIFA indictments? Have you spoken to the Swiss authorities who are leading the FIFA investigation in their country?

-- Did you ever share office space at the Trump Tower, which was home to CONCACAF, with Chuck Blazer? Were you ever aware of allegations that Blazer used CONCACAF funds to fuel his high-flying lifestyle, including a $6,000-per-month Trump Tower apartment for his cats?

-- Why did you decline to attend the U.S. Senate committee hearing on the Justice Department's FIFA investigation on July 15? USSF chief executive officer Dan Flynn, who appeared on behalf of USSF at the hearing, claimed American soccer officials did not have any leverage to push for reform at FIFA. Do you agree with his assessment?