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Morocco denies 1998 world cup bribe allegations

Xinhua, June 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

Morocco denied on Sunday any bribes were paid in its bid to win the 1998 world cup, describing the allegations as aiming at "tarnishing the image of the country."

The National Moroccan Olympic Committee and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation said in a joined statement that the North African kingdom "categorically denies the defamatory accusations against its 1998 World Cup bid team that they had offered inducements to secure votes."

These allegations aim at "tarnishing the image of a country that has always prioritized the values of integrity and fairness as founding principles," the same sources noted in a statement.

Given the considerable efforts made by Morocco to comply with FIFA's requirements for hosting the World Cup, Morocco would have deserved a better treatment instead of "tendentious and baseless rumors", the statement added.

Earlier in June, according to a U.S. indictment against 14 current and former FIFA officials, Morocco allegedly paid one million U.S. dollars in bribes to host the 1998 World Cup.

The documents said the bribe was paid to FIFA executives Chuck Blazer and Jack Warner in exchange of their secret ballot on the FIFA executive committee for Morocco to host the 1998 World Cup. Endit