Safa wants $10m World Cup ‘bribe’ from government – report
The SA Football Association (Safa) are reportedly making a claim to the government for a refund of the US$10-million payment that was made to the Caribbean during the 2010 World Cup bid process.
Danny Jordaan, SAFA president. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu /BackpagePix
The money was said to have been for the Caribbean football legacy projects, but it later emerged that it was pocketed by the disgraced Jack Warner‚ who was the head of Concacaf at the time.
This led to speculation that South Africa might have paid a bribe to secure the rights to host the 2010 World Cup. However, South Africa vehemently denied the allegations.
According to TimesLIVE, Safa are now arguing that the payment‚ which was made by Fifa from funds intended for South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup‚ on the instruction of the South African government‚ did not go to the Caribbean football legacy projects it was intended to.
Now the association wants the money back from government.
Safa spokesman Dominic Chimhavi said a delegation from the association had already met with the Sports Ministry and received a positive response to their overtures.
“The minister [Sports Minister Thulas Nxesi] said he is going to consult Minister [in the Presidency] Jeff Radebe who was one of the board members of the World Cup local organising committee and is among those with intimate details of the payment‚” Chimhavi told TimesLIVE.
“That money was lost to South African football and we feel that it should be paid back to us‚” added Chimhavi.
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