Menu
International Football

FIFA: Secret Tapes Include Claim That Morocco Won Right To Host 2010 World Cup

Sensational allegations "about bribes in the contest to host the 2010 World Cup, even including a claim that a rival bidder actually won the vote before it was then rigged" in South Africa's favor, were revealed Sunday in extracts from "secret tapes," according to the SUNDAY TIMES. The tapes expose the "alleged World Cup bribes that are now at the heart" of the U.S. investigation into FIFA, "but were suppressed by the sports body" and its president, Sepp Blatter, for five years after they were handed to FIFA by the Sunday Times. Top FIFA officials were "filmed by undercover reporters" talking candidly about the "million-dollar bungs to host the World Cup." They include an allegation by one of the 24 FIFA ExCO members who took part in the ballot for the 2010 World Cup that the contest "was rigged and Morocco had actually beaten South Africa." South Africa, "which denies the claims, went on to host the tournament." Ismail Bhamjee, an Exco member from Botswana, said that he and his colleagues "conferred after the vote" and realized Morocco had won the secret ballot. Bhamjee: "After talking with everybody ... Whose votes went where? We’re all colleagues, you know. And then we found out that actually Morocco won by two votes." He admitted that "it was possible" some ExCo members "might have lied about their votes." Among the clips are claims by ex-voters and senior officials that:

  • They themselves had been offered bribes by Morocco.
  • Former FIFA VP Jack Warner had accepted a $1M bribe from the Moroccan bid.
  • Warner had "double-crossed his Moroccan bribers and voted for rivals South Africa because they offered even more money."
  • Morocco offered to pay a former FIFA general secretary to approach ExCo members and "offer them bribes."
  • Neither the bids nor the ExCo members were "ever investigated" by FIFA (SUNDAY TIMES, 6/7).
MORE PRESSURE ON BLATTER: In London, Line & Cutler reported Blatter was drawn into the "widening scandal" surrounding FIFA on Sunday after reports emerged of his "discussions" with former South African President Thabo Mbeki over a payment "designed to win South Africa the 2010 World Cup." Millions of dollars that FBI investigators say was "part of a bribe designed to win South Africa the right to host the tournament were reportedly paid to a leading football executive through a supermarket chain in Trinidad." Almost half of that amount was moved from the CONCACAF account to the JTA Supermarkets chain, which is "thought to have returned the money" to Warner in local currency, according to U.S. prosecutors. Documents uncovered in a BBC investigation suggest that Warner "used the payment for cash withdrawals, personal loans and to launder money." South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper "claimed to have seen an email" from FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke to the country's government asking when the money "would be transferred." Valcke wrote that the $10M was "based on discussions between Fifa and the South African government, and also between our President [Blatter] and President Thabo Mbeki" (SUNDAY TIMES, 6/7). The AP reported FIFA and the South African government have said it was money "given legitimately by South Africa through FIFA" to help football development in Warner's Caribbean region. Mbeki's office "denied any involvement in bribes in a statement when the FIFA corruption scandal broke." FIFA did not "immediately respond to a written request from The Associated Press for comment on the purported 2007 email from Valcke" (AP, 6/7). SKY NEWS' Paul Kelso reported Blatter "admitted not passing on a warning about a bribery scandal that ended the football careers" of Warner and former Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed Bin Hammam. Documents reveal the evidence Blatter gave in "secret hearings to the FIFA ethics committee investigation" into allegations that Bin Hammam offered $40,000 in bribes to Caribbean football officials during his campaign for the FIFA presidency in '11. Transcripts of evidence given by Blatter and FIFA Exec Chuck Blazer "offer an insight into the way FIFA tried to tackle previous corruption cases with secret hearings." Blatter's evidence is "striking for the deferential tone with which he is treated by the committee, and the lack of prolonged cross-examination" (SKY NEWS, 6/5).

FORMER RIVAL SPEAKS OUT: In London, Jack De Menezes reported former UEFA President Lennart Johansson, who ran against Blatter for the FIFA presidency in '98, said on Friday that Blatter "must have known" about a $10M payment that was sent from a FIFA account to one in Warner's control. Johansson: "I think the investigation has told him they will find out exactly what was done and by whom. The general secretary [Valcke] was sending away millions of dollars to America and then Blatter claims that he didn't know. He knows everything that's going on so don't believe that. The cash out [was] so much money and he who keeps everything under such tight control should know about it, this is nonsense" (INDEPENDENT, 6/6).

'DEEPER ROOTED' THAN IOC SCANDAL: REUTERS reported Canadian lawyer Dick Pound, who headed the investigation to "clean up" the IOC after the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games corruption scandal, said that the FIFA crisis was "worse than anything the IOC faced." Pound: "I think it is deeper rooted and it is far more serious. You are talking about corruption, bribes, money laundering, all sorts of stuff." Pound noted that while "criminal charges were brought against two people in the Salt Lake City bribery and corruption case but then dropped," FIFA's situation was "far more complex to try and sort out than ours was." He said, "It's going to get messy before it gets cleared up" (REUTERS, 6/5).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2015/06/08/International-Football/FIFA-Corruption.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2015/06/08/International-Football/FIFA-Corruption.aspx

CLOSE