Chuck Blazer, a former top Fifa official, has admitted that he and other members of the executive committee of the organisation accepted bribes in connection with the choosing of South Africa as the hosts of the World Cup in 2010.
The American admitted to facilitating bribes in relation to the 1998 event as well according to details released in a transcript from a 2013 US hearing where he pleaded guilty to 10 charges.
Criminal case
The US have launched a wide-ranging criminal case that has led to the resignation of Fifa President Sepp Blatter. Last week, 14 people were indicted on charges including bribery, racketeering and money laundering while four others have already been charge, including Mr Blazer.
The US justice department alleges they accepted bribes and kickbacks that amount to over $150 million spread over a 24-year period. Seven of the 14 were top officials who were arrested in Zurich, Switzerland while they were waiting for the Fifa congress including two vice-presidents.
Former Vice President Jack Warner, one of those charge, said yesterday that he had documents linking Fifa officials to the 2010 elections in Trinidad and Tobago. He added that he would no longer keep secrets for the organisation as it is actively seeking to ‘destroy the country’. Warner denies the charges against his and said he fears for his life but would still reveal what he knew about the corruption allegations.
Kickbacks
The details of Mr Blazer’s guilty pleas were released after the details of the hearing from the Eastern New York District Court were unsealed and released. During the period from 1990 to 2011, Blazer was the second highest official in the North and Central American and Caribbean region (Concacaf) as well as serving on the executive committee from 1997 until 2013.
During the transcript, the prosecutors refer to Fifa and its membership or constituent organisation as a Rico enterprise – a Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organisation.
In his words, Mr Blazer said the ‘beginning in or around 2004 and continuing through 2011, 1 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.’ Earlier in the day, South African denied it paid $10 million in a bribe to secure hosting of the event.
Mr Blazer also alleged that one of his co-conspirators received a bribe from Morocco for its bid to post the 1998 tournament but this was eventually awarded to France. Other bribes were accepting in connection with the broadcasting and other rights to the Concacaf Gold Cup in 1996, 1998, 2000 and 2003.
Mr Blazer had been retained in relation to tax evasion charges and agreed to cooperate with the US investigations. He is said to have recorded his colleagues using a microphone hidden in a keychain.
