FIFA Confirms Receipt of $10 Million from South Africa

On Tuesday, FIFA confirmed the receipt of ten million dollars from South Africa and its transfer to Jack Warner, a former FIFA vice president. In a statement issued by FIFA, any involvement of Jerome Valcke, the Secretary General, and other senior officials of the organization in the transfer of this amount of money has been denied. Recent reports have accused Jack Warner of receiving bribes from South Africa for selecting the country as the host for the 2010 World Cup. According to the Associated Press, FIFA stated that three payments totaling $10 million, mentioned in the U.S. federal prosecutor's indictment and central to the country's judicial investigations, were approved in 2007 by Julio Grondona, the former head of FIFA's finance committee, who passed away last year. FIFA's stance is a reaction to a recent New York Times report citing unnamed U.S. prosecutors claiming that Jerome Valcke deposited this money into accounts controlled by Jack Warner, who was then the head of the African Football Confederation and FIFA vice president. Warner currently faces corruption charges in the U.S. American investigators say Chuck Blazer, a former colleague of Warner at FIFA, believes this amount was paid as a bribe to secure votes for South Africa's hosting of the 2010 World Cup. FIFA's statement does not definitively say that Jerome Valcke was unaware of this matter but emphasizes that 'neither he nor any senior FIFA officials were involved in proposing, approving, or implementing this plan.' The South African Broadcasting Corporation recently published a letter from Molefi Oliphant, the former president of South Africa's football federation, addressed to Jerome Valcke dated March 4, 2008, indicating that Valcke was at least aware of this matter through the letter. In this letter, the then-president of South Africa's football federation requests Valcke to set aside the $10 million from the budget paid by the South African organizing committee and transfer it to an organization named 'Diaspora Legacy Program.' He emphasizes twice in the letter that Jack Warner, who was then FIFA's finance committee vice president, should control the transfer and use of this money. According to this report, Molefi Oliphant has recently refused to answer any of the Associated Press's questions regarding the corruption allegations in FIFA. As a result of the U.S. federal prosecutor's investigation into the selection and voting process for World Cup hosts over the past two decades, several senior FIFA officials have been charged, and seven of them, including two vice presidents, a new board member, and a senior employee, have been arrested. These individuals are included in a list of fourteen accused of paying over $150 million in bribes. The status of four others, including Sepp Blatter and two of Jack Warner's sons, remains unclear. The bribery allegations have jeopardized the reputation of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, which Sepp Blatter has always portrayed as his greatest achievement during his 17 years at the helm of FIFA. In its statement on Tuesday, FIFA said that these payments were part of the South African government's plan 'to support the African diaspora community in Caribbean countries as a legacy of hosting this World Cup.' FIFA adds that these payments 'were approved by Julio Grondona, the former head of the finance committee, and in accordance with FIFA regulations.' Julio Grondona was a member of FIFA's executive committee for 26 years. He was from Argentina and served as the vice president of the organization for a time, passing away last year at the age of 82. Sepp Blatter, 79, who was re-elected for the fifth time on Friday by FIFA members, denied involvement in this matter, stating that he is not the senior official mentioned anonymously in this case. In South Africa, former President Thabo Mbeki also denied paying bribes to secure the 2010 World Cup hosting. The head of the committee overseeing South Africa's bid for this competition also told local newspapers that this money was sent to Jack Warner's organizations in Caribbean countries to be used for the development of football. According to FIFA's statement, due to current circumstances, Jerome Valcke has canceled his trip to attend the opening ceremony of the Women's World Cup in Canada.