BERLIN — The German government sent a shipment of rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia in order to secure support for their bid to host the 2006 World Cup, according to the latest sensational claims in the Fifa scandal.
German newspaper Die Zeit said the country’s Football Association arranged for then Chancellor Gerhard Schroder’s administration to supply the arms in order to swing the Saudi vote from Morocco to Germany ahead of the vote in 2000.
It helped tip the knife-edge vote in Germany’s favour as they defeated South Africa 12-11 in the final round and duly hosted the World Cup finals six years later.
The shipment of RPGs was part of a concerted effort by German politicians and business leaders to persuade the members of Fifa’s executive committee to vote for them, Die Zeit report. German firms Volkswagen and Bayer promised higher investment in Thailand and South Korea, while Daimler invested ₣100 million (£73 million) in South Korean motor company Hyundai.
Meanwhile, a fresh letter has emerged implicating South Africa 2010 World Cup boss Danny Jordaan and the country’s government in the $10 million (£6,5 million) payment that forms a central part of the FBI-led investigation into Fifa corruption launched last week.
The December 2007 letter, from Jordaan to Fifa general-secretary Jerome Valcke, supports the allegation that the South African government agreed to the payment which the US authorities allege was a bribe, disguised as a football legacy development grant, to CONCACAF chief Jack Warner and his deputy Chuck Blazer.
The letter names Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Jabu Moleketi, respectively Foreign Affairs minister and Finance deputy minister in the government of then-president Thabo Mbeki.
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The $10 million payment was allegedly used to secure support on the Fifa executive committee for South Africa’s bid to host the 2010 World Cup. The letter, published by the Mail&Guardian newspaper in South Africa, is entitled: “US$10.0M promised by the South African government for the diaspora legacy programmes.”
Jordaan then writes to Valcke: “The South African government has undertaken to pay an amount equivalent to US$10 million towards the 2010 Fifa World Cup Diaspora Legacy Programme.
“The Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Jabu Moleketi, has recommended that this money be paid over to FIFA.
“I have subsequently had a discussion with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who has said that the funds should rather be paid over to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee South Africa.”
The letter continues: “In view of this determination, I want to suggest that Fifa deducts this amount ($10 million) from the LOC (local organising committee)’s future operational budget and deals directly with the Diaspora legacy support programme.” — Online
