Off the wire
• China ties SOE employees' salaries to profitability  • British house price growth slows in May  • Russia promises to stage great FIFA World Cup in 2018  • Gasol brothers wins Princess of Asturias award for 'Sports'  • France drawn with Italy in Fed Cup world Group first round  • Chinese economy can achieve "soft landing": OECD report  • U.S. stocks open higher on upbeat data  • Iran urges OPEC to cut oil supplies to balance prices  • EU says ban on animal research "premature"  • COMESA develops blueprint to maximize benefits from natural resources  
You are here: 　 Home

S. African minister refutes World Cup bribery allegations

Xinhua, June 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

The South African government on Wednesday reiterated that it never bribed anyone to win the bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The country's Sports and Entertainment Minister Fikile Mbalula told a media briefing in Johannesburg that the 10 million U.S. dollars paid to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) was paid after a decision by the government to benefit all Africans including those in the Diaspora.

"The South African government and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has not paid any bribe to anyone to secure the rights to host the 2010 FIFA world cup.

"We frown upon the allegations that South Africa has paid a bribe," said Mbalula.

The minister also confirmed that the 10 million U.S dollars were paid to Concacaf.

"We also clarify that payment made for approved projects can never be construed as bribery. The fact that 10 million U.S dollars were made to an approved programme above board does not equate to bribery," he said.

He also explained why Concacaf was chosen as a beneficiary for the 2010 FIFA World Cup legacy programmes.

Mbalula said, "Since the inception of our government's desire and decision to bid for the 2006 and subsequently the 2010 FIFA World Cup, these bids were branded, marketed and declared as African bids and Africa' s moment, in respect of the African continent and the diaspora."

He said the African continent benefitted from the initial allocation of 70 million dollars and then they also thought of ways to benefit those Africans in the diaspora.

"A legacy programme for the diaspora was also approved to benefit the development of football in the diaspora. This was subsequently followed by the allocation of the said 10 million dollars to this fund.

"It had to be accepted that the highest concentration of states led by Africans outside of the African continent are found in the Carribean. In football terms this is the jurisdiction of Concacaf," Mbalula explained.

He said South Africa now waits for American authorities to produce evidence of their bribery allegations and insisted that no such bribe was paid as far as South Africa is concerned. Endi