Lasana Liburd: "the Caribbean's Answer to Bob Woodward"

I have come to learn that not many people pay much attention to sports governance. Among those who do are a set of investigative reporters who do their profession proud. Among them is Lasana Liburd (pictured above, interviewing Mario Goijman) who writes on football (soccer) from Trinidad at Wired868.com.

Writing at ESPNStar, Jesse Fink highlights Liburd's efforts in exposing corruption in CONCACAF, the federation which oversees Central and North American Soccer, as well as the Caribbean.  Here is an excerpt:

Oh, to be Jack Warner.

Must be wonderful being fawned over by underlings, fanned by tropical breezes, knowing that in Trinidad, his island home, he's practically a king.

Who dares take on Teflon Jack? Who would be so foolish?

Well, there is one man.

The Minister of Works and Infrastructure of the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago, a former FIFA executive committee member, stand-in deputy prime minister and president of CONCACAF, has been linked to all sorts of sagas over the years, each of them chronicled by the Caribbean's answer to Bob Woodward, Lasana Liburd, an online newspaper journalist and publisher in Trinidad.

I have followed Liburd's reporting closely, and it is consistently meticulous, patient and revealing, often going where others fear to go.

Fink's praise is well earned:

[F]ans should be just as appreciative of the work of Liburd. He's a true ornament to the profession of journalism.

Committed. Resourceful. Fearless.

We all owe him our greatest respect and thanks for doing more than FIFA ever has in the name of "fair play".

Count me among those fans. Lasana, keep up the good work!

You can follow Liburd at @lasanaliburd and Wired868.com.