FIFA whistleblower Chuck Blazer has said he and others took bribes for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup, in a testimony published by the United States Department of Justice.
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Blazer’s revelations come little more than 24 hours after Sepp Blatter announced he would be standing down as FIFA president as the corruption crisis in world football deepened.
Blazer said he also facilitated a bribe in the awarding of the 1998 World Cup, which was held in France. It is not clear whether Morocco or France made the payment, although Morocco have been named in the indictment as being prepared to bribe for 2006.
Chuck Blazer admits he “facilitated acceptance of bribe” over 1998 World Cup host nation and 2010 host nation selection. #FIFA #SSNHQ
— Bryan Swanson (@skysports_bryan) June 3, 2015
Blazer, the former CONCACAF general secretary and a FIFA executive committee member from 1996 to 2013, said in his testimony: “I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup.
“I and others agree that I or a co-conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity. Beginning in, or around, 2004 and continuing to 2011, I and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup.
“While acting in our official capacities we agreed to participate in a scheme to defraud FIFA and CONCACAF on the right to honest services by taking undisclosed bribes.”
Blazer said bribes and kickbacks were also commonplace in the CONCACAF tournaments run in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The 70-year-old, now said to be seriously ill, revealed that he had accepted payments for the CONCACAF affiliated Gold Cups – equivalent to the European Championship or the African Cup of Nations – for a decade.
He said: “In and around 1993 and continuing through the early 2000s I and others agreed to accept bribes and kickbacks in conjunction with the broadcast and other rights to the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003 Gold Cups.”
Last week 14 people were indicted on charges of racketeering and money laundering. Four others had already been charged, including Blazer. Interpol yesterday put six suspects on ‘Red Notice’, including disgraced former FIFA No 2 Jack Warner and Nicolas Leoz the ex-CONMEBOL president
