Disgraced former FIFA Vice President Jack Warner was yesterday accused of asking Egypt for a US$7 million bribe for votes to host the 2010 World Cup, as allegations piled up against the man at the heart of the corruption scandal engulfing football's world body.

The BBC also claimed that the 72-year-old Trinidadian pocketed a US$10 million payment made by South Africa through FIFA which was intended to pay for football development for the African diaspora in the Caribbean.

Warner, a former schoolteacher and Trinidadian justice minister who has been indicted by the US authorities on corruption charges, has denied the allegations against him.

But he has emerged as a key figure in the scandal that erupted last month as one of 14 current or former FIFA officials and sports marketing executives accused by US prosecutors of taking part in a sweeping kickbacks scheme going back 20 years and involving a total of US$150 million in bribes.

The scandal, which also involves a Swiss investigation into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, led to the resignation of veteran FIFA boss Sepp Blatter last week, just four days after he was re-elected for a fifth term.

In the latest allegation against Warner, Egypt's former sports minister Aley Eddine Helal said Warner asked Egypt in 2004 to pay US$7 million in exchange for seven votes to host the 2010 World Cup.

"Warner was the one who approached us from FIFA. He said he could guarantee us seven votes... He asked for 1 million dollars for each vote," claimed Helal, who earlier told an Egyptian TV channel that Warner's offer had been rebuffed.

Egypt, one of the countries dominating African football, was a candidate to host the 2010 World Cup, but it received no votes in the 2004 FIFA ballot and South Africa was eventually chosen to host the tournament — the first in Africa.

The BBC, citing documents it has seen, also said Warner laundered the payment from South Africa through a supermarket chain, made cash withdrawals, paid off his credit cards and took personal loans.

US investigators suspect the US$10 million was a bribe to help secure the 2010 World Cup for South Africa.

But South Africa says the money, paid in 2008, was intended to pay for football development in the Caribbean.

In three transactions in 2008 funds totalling US$10 million were moved from FIFA's bank into an account of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football which was controlled by Warner, then its president.

The BBC said JTA Supermarkets, a large chain in Trinidad, received US$4.86 million paid in instalments, while nearly US$1.6 million was said to have been used to pay Warner's credit cards and personal loans.

Trinidad's Sports Minister Brent Sancho, a former international footballer, said he was appalled by the revelations.

"He must face justice, he must answer all of these questions. Justice has to be served," said 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," Sancho told the BBC.

Warner was arrested on May 29 at the request of US authorities and is currently free on bail of US$400,000 pending a decision in his extradition case.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)