A 2007 email shows FIFA President Sepp Blatter and then-South African President Thabo Mbeki held “discussions” over $10 million that ultimately went to allegedly corrupt soccer executives as payback for supporting the country’s World Cup bid, a newspaper claimed Sunday.
South Africa’s Sunday Times reported that the email from FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke to the South African government asks when the $10 million will be transferred.
The newspaper said that in the email, which was not published, Valcke wrote that the $10 million was “based on discussions between FIFA and the South African government, and also between our President (Blatter) and President Thabo Mbeki.”
American investigators alleged in their indictment into corruption in world soccer that the $10 million went to Jack Warner, who is currently under arrest, as payback for him and two other senior FIFA executives voting for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup.
It was wired from FIFA to accounts controlled by Warner in three payments in early 2008, the US Department of Justice said.
FIFA and the South African government have said it was money given legitimately by South Africa through FIFA to help soccer development in Warner’s Caribbean region. Mbeki’s office denied any involvement in bribes in a statement when the FIFA corruption scandal broke.
Adding to woes for Warner, BBC revealed that this payment was pocketed by the former FIFA vice president through various means.
Citing papers it has seen, the BBC said the 72-year-old Trinidadian laundered money through a supermarket chain, made cash withdrawals, paid off his credit cards and took personal loans from the sum.
Warner has also denied any corruption. In three transactions — on January 4, February 1 and March 10 2008 — funds totalling $10 million were moved from FIFA’s bank into an account of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) which was controlled by Warner, then its’ president.
The BBC said JTA Supermarkets, a large chain in Trinidad, received $4.86 million. The money was paid in installments from January 2008 to March 2009. The largest payment was $1,350,000 paid in February 2008.
US prosecutors say the money was mostly paid back to Mr Warner in local currency. The documents also show $360,000 of the FIFA money was withdrawn by people connected to Mr Warner.
Nearly $1.6 million was used to pay Warner’s credit cards and personal loans. The documents show the largest personal loan Mr Warner provided for himself was $410,000. The largest credit card payment was $87,000.
Brent Sancho, Trinidad’s Sports Minister and a former international footballer, was appalled by the revelations.
“He [Mr Warner] must face justice, he must answer all of these questions. Justice has to be served,” he told the BBC.
“He will have to account, with this investigation, he will have to answer for his actions,” added Sancho, who played in all three of Trinidad’s matches at the 2006 World Cup finals.
“I’m devastated because a lot of that money should have been back in football, back in the development of children playing the sport,” said Sancho. “It is a travesty. Mr Warner should answer the questions,” he added.
Warner has proclaimed his innocence since being arrested on May 29 at the request of US authorities who have sought charges against 14 top football officials and sports marketing executives.
The former Trinidadian security minister is currently free on bail of $400,000 bail pending a decision in his extradition case.