By Andrew Warshaw
March 17 – Furious at FIFA’s explosive revelation that bribes were paid to secure the 2010 World Cup, South African authorities hit back today by accusing football’s world governing body of seriously distorting the facts in order to protect its victim status.
Using language such as “contemptible” and “despicable” to describe FIFA’s conduct, South Africa’s sports minister Fikile Mbalula (pictured) re-iterated his country’s stance that no bribes were paid from their end and that the $10 million dollar payment in question which FIFA described as “theft” was totally above board – and that FIFA knew it.
As part of its 22-page submission to US authorities to recoup “tens of millions of dollars” illegally pocketed by a raft of officials during the worst corruption crisis ever to hit the sport, FIFA claimed that the infamous $10 million payment from South Africa was a bribe to secure hosting rights.
The legal submission stated that South African officials “offered a more attractive bribe” than their only rivals Morocco to three senior FIFA executives for their votes in the election which South Africa won 14-10.
FIFA said Jack Warner, who is fighting extradition to the United States, Chuck Blazer, who has pleaded guilty, Warner’s son Daryan and others “engineered a $10 million payoff in exchange for executive committee votes regarding where the 2010 FIFA World Cup would be hosted.”
The payment, said FIFA, was disguised as support for the benefit of the ‘African Diaspora’ in the Caribbean region. “They disguised and funnelled the bribe money through the financial accounts of FIFA, member associations, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup local organizing committee,” FIFA said.
But in a no-holds-barred press conference in Cape Town, Mbalula sought to pull FIFA’s case apart as he accused its lawyers of using South Africa as a scapegoat in order to justify its claim for compensation and said his country would never apologise for something it hadn’t done.
“South Africa refuses to drown itself in the blame and victim mentality game,” Mbalula told a packed audience. “The FBI indictment and FIFA-orchestrated investigation are littered with explosive contradictions. How is it possible, for instance, that FIFA, which has been the subject of an (an) FBI investigation, becomes miraculously a victim and pretends it is no longer FIFA?”
“It is utterly unique in world history for an organisation to turn on itself to disown the decisions taken by its own governance structures.”
After initial reporting of its claims Wednesday, FIFA made it clear in a follow-up statement that its Request for Restitution was based on the allegations contained in the US indictments against 41 defendants and did not allege that South Africa “bought” the World Cup, merely accusing certain individuals of criminal behaviour.
But the damage, said Mbalula, had already been done.
Charging that FIFA’s problems “cannot be placed at the doorstep of South Africa,” he accused FIFA of “inflicting reputational damage of monumental proportions.”
“We believe FIFA must retract its statement. The narrative is not only flawed but is without doubt seeking to achieve a particular objective …by finding our government guilty of collusion and involvement in acts of corruption and fraud.”
South Africa has always maintained that it paid the $10 million in the belief that it was genuinely to support the African diaspora in the Caribbean, even though region’s football was run at the time by Warner who was banned for life last year and has a history of corruption allegations against him.
Mbalula could not explain why the South African organising committee did not follow up whether the money was used for its intended purposes but declared: “It was a legitimate programme. To infer or insinuate anything else, including diminishing such an important part of the African continent’s history as an elaborate ruse, is despicable and an insult.”
Mbulala claimed FIFA knew full well that the $10 million, which ultimately was transferred to an account controlled by Warner, was supposed to be destined for the African diaspora legacy programme.
He suggested that if there was a deliberate plan to bribe, the money would have been dispersed well before the vote in 2004. “It was dispersed long after the bidding process and the award of the tournament . Why would you bribe people after the occasion?”
“This money was given on the basis that it was for development. If at a later stage it came to our attention … that it was embezzled and misused and did not even reach its destination is something we were taken aback by. It is ludicrous and insane for anyone to cast aspertions on our country by suggesting that we were part of a syndicate to defraud and corrupt. It’s absurd to suggest we are hiding the truth.”
“It was above board and not underground. The money came from the legacy fund, not the coffers of the government or the loc. The insinuation by FIFA regarding the illicit relationship between South Africa and Mr Warner is contemptible. We did not pay a bribe or in any way conspire to illegally attain the rights to host the 2010 World Cup.”
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