2010 World Cup bribery claims ‘an insult to Madiba and Tutu,’ says Danny Jordaan

29 June 2016 - 12:07 By TMG Digital

South African Football Association (Safa) President Danny Jordaan said that he his organisation "worked hard” and did not pay a $10-million bribe to secure the rights to host the 2010 World Cup. “I have not done a corrupt thing in my life‚” he insisted‚ before telling the interviewer: “Don’t cast aspersions.”Jordaan‚ who is the African National Congress (ANC) mayoral candidate for the Nelson Mandela Bay metro‚ led the bid for the World Cup.Sports Minister Mbalula defends 2010 World Cup 'bribe', speaks out on GuptasThe sports minister, Fikile Mbalula has accused Fifa of "inflicting reputational damage of monumental proportions on this country" by claiming that South Africa paid a bribe to secure the hosting of the 2010 football World Cup. Nelson Mandela‚ and not bribery‚ he told Eyewitness News in an interview published on Wednesday‚ had clinched the rights to host the tournament in South Africa.“…Neither the FBI nor Fifa has ever said that South Africa bought the World Cup with bribes. It is an insult to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu‚” Jordaan said.EPAA file photo of 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“Look at the indictment. There is not a single South African name mentioned there‚” he added.He also took aim at local media for pursuing the claims‚ saying: “It is only South Africans that raise this.“I don’t want to say it that is a white media in the country…but it’s a fact. And we must move away from that thing…when we know there is no factual basis.”FIFA demands World Cup bribe money be repaidFIFA has submitted documents to US authorities demanding that 'tens of millions of dollars pocketed illegally by corrupt FIFA members and other football officials" be paid back. He also claimed to have a letter from Fifa saying it was the best “World Cup ever”.The Sunday Times reported in May 2015 about a letter that was sent from South Africa to Fifa headquarters “instructing” the world governing body to pay $10-million to a Caribbean football union.The letter was signed by then Safa president Molefi Oliphant. “In it Oliphant tells Fifa to pay over the money - about R120-million at today's rates - to the Caribbean Football Union‚” reported the Sunday Times.Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has denied that bribes were paid to win the right to host the 2010 World Cup.Nelson Mandela Bay will be fiercely contested territory during the upcoming local government elections. Jordaan is confident that the metro will be retained by the ANC.DA lays 2010 World Cup criminal charges against Jordaan and OliphantThe Democratic Alliance on Monday laid fraud and corruption charges against Danny Jordaan and Molefi Oliphant in relation to an alleged $10-million bribe to secure votes to win the right to host the 2010 World Cup. Jordaan also defended his appointment of controversial former prisons boss Linda Mti as the metro’s security head‚ during the interview. – TMG Digital..

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