Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner has cited an article from satirical website 'The Onion' to defend himself against corruption allegations, apparently unaware it was a joke.
Mr Warner was one of nine past and present FIFA officials arrested last week over alleged corruption.
The 72-year-old this week posted a video online in which he cited an article published by satirical website "The Onion," headlined: FIFA Frantically Announces 2015 Summer World Cup in the United States.
The fake article stated that FIFA had created a new tournament to be held in the US, in an effort to appease the country.
Mr Warner held up the article in the video - seemingly unaware it was a joke - and said the corruption charges against him and other FIFA officials "stemmed from the failed US bid to host the World Cup."
"The US applied to hold the World Cup in 2022 and they lost the bid to Qatar — a small country, an Arabic country, a Muslim country," he said.
"I could understand the US embarrassment," Mr Warner said, adding that the country needed to "take your losses like a man."
He then criticised the US for agreeing to host the fictional "Summer World Cup 2015", saying, "that has to be double standards."
Watch the video here:
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