FIFA details how SA paid US$10 million 'bribe' to secure 2010 World Cup bid

16 March 2016 - 16:30 By Ray Hartley
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The South African delegation of Irvin Khoza, Danny Jordaan and Nelson Mandela, with Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Molefi Oliphant showing the name of South Africa at the announcement that the country would host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, during an official ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 15 2004.
The South African delegation of Irvin Khoza, Danny Jordaan and Nelson Mandela, with Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Molefi Oliphant showing the name of South Africa at the announcement that the country would host the 2010 Soccer World Cup, during an official ceremony in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 15 2004.
Image: EPA

FIFA has outlined how it believes South Africa paid a US$10m bribe in exchange for votes to secure the right to host the 2010 World Cup.

In a court submission demanding restitution under US law for a range of fraudulent acts, FIFA has outlined how it believes South Africa paid the money.

"Defendant [Jack] Warner and his family had already established close ties to South Africa during South Africa’s failed bid to host the 2006 FIFA World Cup. For example, Daryan Warner had organized a series of friendly matches among CONCACAF teams to be played in South Africa, relying on his father’s network of contacts there."

The claim goes on to state that Daryan Warner "served as his father’s bagman, traveling to a hotel in Paris, France to receive a briefcase with $10,000 in cash from a high-ranking South African bid committee official and immediately returning to Trinidad and Tobago to give it to Defendant Warner."

Describing Warner as having "strong illicit ties to the South African bid committee", FIFA states categorically for the first time that "the South Africans offered a more attractive bribe of $10 million in exchange for Warner’s, Blazer’s, and a third Executive Committee member’s votes."

FIFA say: "Warner and his co-conspirators lied to FIFA about the nature of the payment, disguising it as support for the benefit of the “African Diaspora” in the Caribbean region, when in reality it was a bribe."

"They disguised and funneled the bribe money through the financial accounts of FIFA, member associations, and the 2010 FIFA World CupTM local organizing committee.

"At the time of the scheme, Warner was a member of the FIFA Executive Committee, a FIFA vice president, and the president of both CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union (“CFU”), which had 31 member associations in its ranks.

Blazer was also a member of FIFA’s Executive Committee, at times a member of FIFA’s marketing and television committees, and the general secretary of CONCACAF. They breached the fundamental duties they owed to FIFA, CFU, and CONCACAF and stole $10 million."

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