One of the members of FIFA's ethics committee insists the consequences for Jack Warner are the same as if he had been convicted of corruption - that he is out of football.
A report of the committee leaked to the Press Association on Wednesday said there was overwhelming evidence that Warner was "an accessory to corruption". There was anger after FIFA dropped the bribery investigation and said the 68-year-old is "presumed innocent" but Sondre Kaafjord said the outcome was the same as a ban.
Kaafjord, one of the five-man panel who provisionally suspended Warner and fellow FIFA member Mohamed Bin Hammam on bribery charges last month, said: "The result is the same as if he had been banned by us - he's out of football. If we had sentenced him or banned him the result would have been just the same."
He added: "If Warner were to take part in football again, the case will be re-opened immediately."
Kaafjord, who until last year was the president of the Norway Football Federation, said FIFA had no choice but to drop the investigation once Warner had quit - but confirmed the ethics committee's report's conclusions and said the Trinidadian had agreed to be a witness in the on-going case against Bin Hammam.
Both Bin Hammam and Warner have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Kaafjord added: "We concluded on May 29 that there was enough reason to suspend him for 30 days. It means that there was a probability that he was guilty.
"But in judicial language until you are actually found guilty you are presumed to be innocent. That is a basic principle of law. We are not entitled to go further with the investigation according to Swiss law - if he is not a member of the association any more we have no right to go further.
"But the investigation will continue because Mr Bin Hammam is part of the same case and Mr Warner has said he will be a witness in the Bin Hammam case."
The ethics committee report says there is compelling evidence that Bin Hammam paid money to delegates of the Caribbean Football Union while he was campaigning for the FIFA presidency, and that Warner facilitated these payments.
Source: PA
