FIFA Bribery: DA submits Memorandum to SAFA
19 June 2015
Note to editors: The following speech was delivered by DA Shadow Minister for Sport, Solly Malatsi MP, to DA supporters outside SAFA House today. A memorandum of demands was submitted to SAFA President Danny Jordaan.
My fellow football lovers and democrats,
Looking at all of you here at SAFA House today in football jerseys and makarapas brings back wonderful memories of the Football Friday’s that we all enjoyed during the 2010 World Cup. What a football festival we had then. The 2010 World Cup stands as a testament to how much we as South Africans can achieve when we work together.
Yet the legacy of the World Cup is being tarnished by allegations of corruption relating to how our country won the hosting rights for the football tournament.
That is why we are here today to hand over a memorandum to SAFA President Danny Jordaan.
We now know, as does the rest of the world, that SAFA -with the blessing of the South African government- instructed FIFA to pay $10 million for a so-called ‘Diaspora Legacy Programme’ in the CONCACAF region.
The funds were originally intended for football development in South Africa. We are here today to tell SAFA that we love the game of football and that $10 million is not pocket money.
If used properly $10 million could buy 780 000 soccer balls, 270 000 pairs of boots, kits for 26 000 soccer teams, and 140 brand new soccer pitches.
In the end, the only beneficiary of these funds was a crook by the name of Jack Warner from Trinidad and Tobago.
Danny Jordaan and Molefi Oliphant are directly implicated in the decision to transfer this money. Surely these individuals are best placed to shed light on the bribery allegations?
We are here to send a message to the President of SAFA Danny Jordaan that while his ANC colleagues are hellbent on shielding him from accounting to Parliament, we will do everything possible to force them to answer our questions in Parliament. If they fail to do so, we will fight them outside Parliament to get the full facts on these bribery allegations.
We do not want to hear details of the alleged corruption from international organisations and individuals, bit by bit.
It is important that South Africans hear the truth from the mouths of those officials who were entrusted with the responsibility of bidding and organizing the World Cup
Today we hand over a memorandum to SAFA to demand:
That Danny Jordaan, Molefi Oliphant and all other officials involved in the bid committee and the LOC break their deafening silence on the alleged corruption and provide the South African public with the answers we deserve;
The release of all correspondence between SAFA, CONCACAF, the Government, the 2010 bid and local organising committees to do with the decision to authorize the payment of $10 million to CONCACAF between 2004 and 2011; and
That all budgetary documents pertaining to South Africa’s bid and finances for the 2010 World Cup, between 2004 and 2011 be released publicly with immediate effect.
SAFA and the Government should do the right and honest thing and give the nation the answers we deserve.
Unfortunately all we have seen so far is senior officials finger pointing and bullet dodging. It is high time that these individuals are summoned to come forward with the critical information which will enable us to get to the bottom of the issue.
The 2010 World Cup is an event that will live forever in the hearts and minds of all South Africans as one of our crowning achievements.
Let us stand up as people united in our love of the game, and as South Africans, to show we want nothing less than full transparency on the allegations tarnishing our good name.
Issued by the DA, June 19 2015
