Image from concacaf.com
CONCACAF, the governing body of North and Central American soccer, is in the process of framing itself as a victim after suing two ex-officials Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer for embezzlement earlier this week, according to the Associated Press.Both former CONCACAF President Warner and former CONCACAF General Secretary Blazer were entangled in FIFA's bribery scandal, which came to a head in 2015. Warner is fighting extradition in Trinidad and Tobago after maintaining innocence for wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering in 2011, and Blazer (who had two Trump Tower apartments—one for his cats) struck a plea bargain after agreeing to become an FBI informant in 2011 for the investigation that led to the 2015 FIFA arrests."There can be no doubt that Warner and Blazer victimized CONCACAF," the suit says, "stealing and defrauding it out of tens of millions of dollars in brazen acts of corruption for their own personal benefit at the expense of the entire CONCACAF region."While Warner and Blazer's infractions are certainly not news, CONCACAF's recent decision to sue their former employees seems like a step in distancing itself from its horridly corrupt past. It also may be a legal measure allowing CONCACAF to seek theft insurance.A year ago, FIFA sought to claim back tens of millions of dollars that its own officials had stolen via bribery and kickback schemes—money that U.S. authorities were also seeking. It was an unusual request to claim reimbursements for its own organization's crimes. At the time, experts said that the move wasn't so much about the money as an effort to rehabilitate FIFA's reputation.It seems that by claiming victimhood, CONCACAF is following suit.