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How Warner pocketed SA’s $10m

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A project Mbalula named as the beneficiary of the $10m windfall is registered in the name of Jack Warner and his wife.

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Johannesburg - A development project named by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula as the intended beneficiary of the $10 million windfall from the proceeds of the Fifa 2010 World Cup is in fact registered in the name of disgraced former Concacaf president Jack Warner and his wife, and not that of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU).

This week, Mbalula told a press conference that the agreement had been “for the allocated funds to the Concacaf to be provided to the CFU and utilised for the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence” in Port-of-Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.

“It is named after the former Fifa president and is a centre committed to the development of football across the whole Caribbean.”

The Sunday Independent has established that the facility had been in existence for 10 years at the time of the payment.

According to a Concacaf Integrity Committee Report, the Centre of Excellence, valued at between $22.5m and $25.5m, belonged to Warner from the time of its construction in 1998.

He had registered it in the names of two of his companies – CCAM and Company, and Renraw Investments.

Warner and his wife, Maureen, are listed as directors for both companies. Also, the land on which the centre was built is owned by Warner.

Ownership was transferred to him and Renraw Investments from Syrian businessman and Trinidad’s Guardian newspaper owner Dr Anthony Norman Sabga and First Caribbean International Bank director Michael Kelvin Mansoo in October 1998.

In May 2012, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said the football controlling body would attempt to retrieve control of the centre through legal means.

But this was not done.

Warner has not handed the facility over to Concacaf since resigning in 2011. Fifa is continuing to pay rent to Warner for space it is using at the centre for its development office.

Mbalula said: “As to the allegations made about how that money was utilised, that is another story for the investigators and those who have got information on their side.

“We are told, we do not know, that the money was misused and all of that. (Nor) are we in a position to accuse anybody.

“You must understand that when we organised the World Cup, we were not dealing with gangsters; we were dealing with people. The fact that they are later tagged as gangsters is not our problem.”

In 2012, Trinidad’s Saturday Express reported that Fifa was alleging that Warner owned the Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence at Macoya.

Warner countered that it belonged to the CFU, of which he is a former president.

The paper reported Warner had denied reports that he was owner of the sporting complex, which is the home base of Warner’s Joe Public Football Club.

News coming out of the Fifa congress in Budapest, Hungary, that year claimed the centre was signed over to Warner’s family businesses.

Concacaf, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean, held its congress in Budapest in 2012, where newly elected president, Cayman Islander Jeffrey Webb, raised irregularities revolving around the ownership of the centre, which was built with Fifa money.

Concacaf said it had begun legal steps to recover the facility from Warner, who had by then resigned as Concacaf president and Fifa vice-president amid a scandal involving CFU officials and alleged bribes-for-votes for Fifa presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam.

Hammam was expelled from his Fifa post in the wake of the scandal.

Warner was among 14 Fifa officials who were arrested by the FBI last week for a bribing scandal that spans over two decades.

Sunday Independent

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Safa responds to bribery claims

Safa refutes claims that South Africa bribed it’s way to the 2010 World Cup. Here is their full statement.

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This memorandum is in response to requests for clarity from many SAFA Members to the announcement of the US Attorney General on Wednesday, 27 May 2015 regarding claims of bribery in relation the hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The Association is alarmed by the narrative that has developed around its strong support for the South African Government’s inclusion of the African Diaspora in the World Cup legacy projects, specifically in the Caribbean.

SAFA joined the South African Government in the fulfilment of this promise to support the diaspora.

We are concerned that the new narrative clearly:

Casts the country’s inclusion of the African Diaspora as morally wrong, sinister and therefore criminal in nature;

Insinuates that leaders in the then Local Organising Committee and the Government conspired to bribe their way to hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa;

Implies that none of the programs of the 2010 FIFA World Cup were reported and therefore, leaders are trying to cover up their “misdeeds” by bringing attention to these programmes only now, more than 5 years after the World Cup.

SAFA rejects, with contempt, the attempts to tarnish the image of the country by insinuations that:

Support for the African Diaspora programme was wrong;

That the African Diaspora programme was not an approved project;

That the USD10 million for the African Diaspora was a bribe in exchange for a vote;

That somehow there was something sinister with the way we won the hosting rights to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

On Wednesday, 3 June 2015, the South African Minister of Sport and Recreation, Mr Fikile Mbalula, brought the world’s attention to the words of former President Thabo Mbeki, who said the following:

The basis of South Africa's bid was a resolve to ensure that the 21st century unfolds as a century of growth and development in Africa … This is not a dream. It is a practical policy … the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup in Africa will provide a powerful, irresistible momentum to the African renaissance … We want, on behalf of our continent, to stage an event that will send ripples of confidence from the Cape to Cairo - an event that will create social and economic opportunities throughout Africa. We want to ensure that one day, historians will reflect upon the 2010 World Cup as a moment when Africa stood tall and resolutely turned the tide on centuries of poverty and conflict. We want to show that Africa's time has come.

We were also reminded by Minister Mbalula that the African Union views the African Diaspora as one of its 6 regions, the other 5 being on the African continent.

It should therefore come as no surprise that the African Diaspora was included in the benefits of the first FIFA World Cup held on African soil.

The leadership of the bid travelled the world to remind all audiences that the 2010 FIFA World Cup had to benefit the entire African continent in one way or another.

To top these travels, our world icon, the late former State President, Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, made one of his last foreign trips on 29 April 2004 and visited Trinidad and Tobago to encourage the head of its football association to vote for South Africa to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He undertook this 17-hour trip because of his deep desire to fulfil his dream of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event in our country.

Madiba’s personal diplomacy paid off when FIFA decided to grant this privilege to South Africa. There is no denying the excitement and electricity in the conference room at FIFA when delegates learned that Madiba was present in Zurich to possibly accept the honour of hosting the FIFA World Cup. Who can forget that iconic moment where he held up the World Cup trophy on 15 May 2004?

The presence of the African Diaspora in the programme of the FIFA World Cup is further recognised in the statement of Dr Irvin Khoza, the Chairman of the 2010 Local Organising Committee (the LOC), during the launch of the 2010 FIFA World Cup slogan ‘Ke Nako’ on 26 November 2007, when he said:

"'Ke Nako' simply means 'It's Time'," Fifa says on its website. "And indeed Africa's time has come to use the 2010 Fifa World Cup to change perceptions of Africa and reposition the continent in a positive light with South Africa as the theatre and Africa the stage."

Khoza said the Local Organising Committee had "felt it appropriate that we develop a message, a theme that would resonate with the objectives of the global football family as well as the intentions and ambitions of the African diaspora.

Following discussions between FIFA, the 2010 LOC and the South African Government, FIFA wrote to the South African Government on 19 September 2007 outlining its wish that the South African Bid and the 2010 FIFA World Cup Programme should leave a lasting legacy for football and society.

In this letter, FIFA informed the Department of Foreign Affairs of the establishment of the “Win in Africa with Africa” programme and that FIFA had allocated USD70 million for the programme. FIFA also confirmed in the same letter the South African Government’s commitment of USD10 million for the African Diaspora legacy programme, specifically for the Caribbean countries. FIFA also agreed to administer the fund through the FIFA account.

In his recollection of the Diaspora Legacy Programme, former President Thabo Mbeki wrote in an article for Bloomberg a few years after the 2010 FIFA World Cup that:

“when we presented our bid to host the 2010 World Cup to the FIFA Executive on May 14, 2004, I said the millions of Africans on the continent and the African diaspora had ‘embarked on an exciting human journey. This is a journey away from a history of conflict, repression and endemic poverty.”

South African foreign policy at the time consciously reached out to the African Diaspora to incorporate them into the African Renaissance that led to the bid to host the FIFA World Cup on African soil.

FIFA itself also always promoted social responsibility and was fully in support of this continental objective, as can be seen from the following story in SouthAfrica.Info:

In 2004, Fifa announced its vision to "develop the game, touch the world, build a better future". The first project to follow from this, "Win in Africa with Africa" - which is also the slogan for the 2010 FIFA World Cup - aims to ensure that the entire continent benefits from the event in South Africa.

Friday's [7 July 2006] concert also highlighted Fifa's "6 Villages for 2006" charity campaign, which aims to fund the construction of six new SOS Children's Villages in Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Ukraine and Vietnam, offering a new home to at least 800 children in need.

SouthAfrica.Info

We find it quite surprising therefore that the dominant narrative describes the very popular African Renaissance programme’s African Diaspora support project as a bribe – almost 4 years after the actual vote to grant South Africa these hosting rights.

We categorically deny that this was a bribe in return for a vote. It belittles the hard work done by Madiba, Archbishop Tutu, the South African Government and numerous others who sacrificed their time and money and family lives to make our country proud! It tarnishes their images in the most unscrupulous manner.

FIFA Executive Committee Members who voted for South Africa in 2004 and who were interviewed by the media at the time all indicated that the tipping point for their support came as a direct result of Madiba’s appeal to them as well as the strength of the South African bid.

The “6 Villages for 2006” charity campaign was a legacy of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and spanned five different continents – and includes South Africa as a beneficiary of one of these projects.

If the bribery logic holds any water, then South Africa may also have been “bribed” by Germany to support its 2006 FIFA World Cup ambitions upon receiving one of the “6 Villages for 2006”. This was most certainly not the case!

SAFA therefore rejects this narrative and restates its support for the African Renaissance and its inclusion of the African Diaspora in the World Cup legacy projects.

We note that the indictment referred to above makes reference to payments made to CONCACAF as a direct result of South Africa transferring funds to FIFA to pay this “bribe”. The indictment notes payments made on 2 January 2008, 31 January 2008 and on 7 March 2008 to the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF by FIFA.

We concur with Minister Mbalula’s statement that, to our knowledge, the South African Government did not make any payment from Government coffers for this project as it was subsequently decided, in a letter written by Dr Danny Jordaan on 10 December 2007 to FIFA, that the money should rather be taken from the LOC budget and then sent directly to CONCACAF.

It is a fallacy that any funds were earmarked for Government by FIFA as all agreements and revenue flows pertaining to the FIFA World Cup are signed between the football association and FIFA. Therefore no government funds were spent on managing the 2010 FIFA World Cup beyond the lasting legacy infrastructure that the country’s citizens continue to use to this day.

Minister Mbalula also stated that the African Diaspora as well as the African continent benefitted from the 2010 FIFA World Cup African Legacy Programme. In fact, the SAFA-FIFA World Cup Legacy Trust still distributes funds to football development programmes around South Africa to this day.

The US Attorney General’s indictment infers that the Bid Committee or its representatives approved payments for the purpose of bribery. It was not possible for the 2010 Bid Committee to have made or requested payments to be made in 2007/2008 as has been alleged because it closed shop soon after the awarding of the rights to host the 2010 event in 2004. In other words, the Bid Committee did not exist at the time the alleged bribes were made.

It is also a fact that the 2010 Local Organising Committee, which commenced its work in October 2004, also did not make any payments in the sum alleged in exchange for a vote as it was not in existence during the bidding process. To suggest that this may have happened tarnishes the good names of those hard-working individuals who were selected to serve the LOC because of their impeccable reputations and credentials.

All football associations who participated in the bidding process were required to sign a 170-page Organising Association Agreement (OAA) that outlined strict conditions for participating in the bidding process – including ethical boundaries for campaigning. The following conditions were also placed as irrevocable conditions for bidding:

The LOC is and shall remain an internal, fully dependent and controlled division of the host national association;

The Organising Association is subject to the control of FIFA;

FIFA has the final word on all matters related to the 2010 FIFA World Cup;

FIFA does not recognise any third parties or organisations apart from the Organising Association and the Government of the host country.

The condition outlined in the OAA recognises the partnership between Government, the football association and FIFA on all matters pertaining to the FIFA World Cup, including the African Diaspora Programme.

Therefore:

FIFA agreed on 19 September 2007 to include the African Diaspora Programme in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Legacy Programme;

It was SAFA (through its LOC) that wrote a letter to FIFA on 10 December 2007 stipulating how the money should be paid;

It was SAFA that wrote a letter to FIFA on 4 March 2008 requesting that the funds be managed by the head of CONCACAF, whose position within FIFA and CONCACAF at the time made him the ideal candidate to oversee the implementation of the project in the Caribbean. Hindsight always constitutes 20/20 vision.

In its quest to host a successful FIFA World Cup, SAFA also asked FIFA to assist it in other ways by requesting the following:

That it wanted to make a USD100 million profit from the 2010 FIFA World Cup;

That it needed USD10 million for the construction of SAFA House [granted in 2005];

That it wanted USD10 million to prepare Bafana Bafana for the 2010 FIFA World Cup [granted in 2006].

The request to fund the Diaspora Legacy Programme was therefore just one of several requests made to FIFA for assistance.

These requests were made during the hosting period and not during the bidding period and could therefore not be construed as a bribe to someone to vote for South Africa in the bidding process.

It is a shame that this noble effort to support football development has now been turned on its head and camouflaged as a bribe rather than recognising the good that it was intended to deliver to the football programs of CONCACAF.

The African Diaspora project was – and still is – a genuine expression of both SAFA and the South African Government’s desire to position the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a truly African event that provided great benefits to the African continent and the African Diaspora.

As noted elsewhere in this statement, FIFA launched its “Win in Africa with Africa” campaign in 2007. It consisted of the layout of artificial turfs to all African Members of FIFA, training programs in coaching, administration and refereeing, providing support for CAF’s 50th anniversary, developing a DVD on the history of African football, organising a gala match in South Africa in honour of Madiba, etc, etc.

It is common knowledge that many bid committees have previously established legacy and other assistance projects – during the bidding phase – to solicit support from member associations as a means of cultivating goodwill amongst prospective voters. However, the South African Bid Committee did not establish such a programme. Instead, all of its resources were spent on establishing principled relationships with the FIFA voters in an attempt to convince them of the strengths of the country – these strengths were so ably demonstrated during the execution of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Minister Mbalula has also outlined the many programmes that the South African Government has embarked on in the African Diaspora as well as on the continent long before the decision was made to bid for the FIFA World Cup. It cannot be correct for these noble efforts to be tarnished in this manner.

It is therefore wrong to state that either the 2010 Bid Committee or the 2010 Local Organising Committee agreed or caused these payments to be made to the conspirators referred to in the US Attorney General’s indictment referenced above. These matters were dealt with between FIFA and its affiliate, the South African Football Association, in terms of the four key conditions for hosting noted elsewhere in this circular.

To be sure, it was the South African Football Association, after consultation with the South African Government, who requested that FIFA make this grant to the CONCACAF confederation – long after the bid was won – to support football development in the Caribbean.

That the money may have been siphoned off by individuals after it was donated does not make the donor complicit or a co-conspirator as it has been so vigorously described in the public domain.

We appeal to all and sundry not to tarnish the intentions of the South African Football Association and the South African Government by deliberate misrepresentation of the facts.

The Association has not been approached by the US authorities to assist in its investigations, but stand ready to do so if called upon as it is in SAFA’s interest to root out corruption in the sport – wherever this may occur.

We also note the continuing speculation about who are the co-conspirators referenced in the US Attorney General’s indictment. It serves no purpose to conduct this trial by media other than to needlessly destroy the integrity of persons who have worked so hard to secure the World Cup hosting rights for this country – without a single shred of evidence being provided so far.

SAFA is therefore looking at its legal options to counter the deliberate spread of disinformation by individuals that seeks to tarnish the only senior FIFA World Cup played on the African continent in the 109 years of FIFA’s existence.

We thank you kindly for your understanding in this matter and hope that you will be able to defend your Association against the vigorous attempts to rewrite the history of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

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Barca too classy for Juve

Luis Suarez and Neymar scored second half goals to give Barcelona a Champions League final victory over Juventus.

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Luis Suarez and Neymar scored second half goals to give Barcelona a 3-1 Champions League final victory over Juventus on Saturday and make the Spaniards the first team to twice win the European treble.

Luis Enrique capped his first season as Barcelona's head coach by matching Pep Guardiola's feat from the 2008/09 season when the Catalans captured the European, Spanish league and cup titles.

An early goal by Barca's Ivan Rakitic was cancelled out by Juventus' ex-Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, who equalised on 55 minutes.

But Suarez put the game beyond the Italian champions with a 68th minute strike off a rebound at Berlin's Olympic Stadium. Neymar added the third with the last kick of the game in the 97th minute.

Juventus suffered the indignation of becoming the first team to lose six European Cup finals, 30 years after winning the trophy for the first time amidst the tragedy of the Heysel Stadium disaster.

This was the fifth time Barcelona have been crowned European champions and it is their fourth Champions League title in the last decade after their 2006, 2009 and 2011 triumphs.

For Suarez it was a triumphant end to a first season with the Spanish champions after his ignominous biting ban at the World Cup.

“It's incredible, it's something unique. To win these trophies you have to suffer,” he said.

“I think after the equaliser they pushed on a little more, but we have players who made the difference. We have gone from game-to-game and achieved all our objectives.

“The best thing about this side is the spirit and the fact we've been united since the start of the season.”

Following their 2009 treble, Barcelona join Celtic, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich on the exclusive list of teams to have won the treble.

Despite brief moments of magic, Lionel Messi failed to become the first player to score in three Champions League finals as he equalled Dutch star Clarence Seedorf's tally of four winners' medals.

Barcelona showed early nerves with two uncustomary mistakes in defence straight from kick-off before Rakitic gave the Catalan giants the lead with just four minutes gone.

Neymar fed his captain Andres Iniesta from the left wing and the Spain international squared for Rakitic to drill home from close-range past Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon.

Juve came back into the game midway through the first-half, but Suarez forced Buffon, who failed to claim a winners' medal at the 12th attempt, into another save as it finished 1-0 at the break.

The Spaniards picked up where they left off in the second half when Rakitic fed Suarez, who forced Buffon into a diving save with 48 minutes gone before firing over moments later.

Messi, who showed glimpses of his brilliance with a first-half darting run through the Juve defence, then fired wide after exchanging two quick passes in the build-up move.

Juve got the equaliser they had threatened when defender Stephan Lichtsteiner's cross found Carlos Tevez, whose shot was parried by Barca goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, only for Morata to rifle home the loose ball on 55 minutes.

It was the ex-Real striker's first goal against Barcelona despite four years at the Bernabeu having left Madrid last year.

The goal breathed life back into Juve's ambitions, but it was a touch of Messi magic which led to the decisive goal.

The Argentina international attacked the Juve defence with a mazy run and although Buffon blocked his shot, Suarez fired home the rebound on 68 minutes.

Neymar looked to have headed Barca's third just moments later, but Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir spotted the ball hit his arm on its way into the Juve goal.

Xavi Hernandez came on for his final game in the Barca shirt in the dyings stages as he made history with a record 151st Champions League appearance before joining Qatari side Al Sadd next season.

The scene was set for Neymar to cap his first Champions League final with Barcelona's third just before the final whistle. – AFP

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Far better ways to spend $10m

Safa could have spent the $10m on a million soccer balls, 700 000 pairs of boots, about 30 000 training equipment kits and 16 000 complete team kits.

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More than a million soccer balls, 700 000 pairs of boots, about 30 000 training equipment kits and 16 000 complete team kits.

This is what the $10 million (R125m) at the centre of controversy around the 2010 Fifa World Cup Legacy Fund could buy for thousands of development soccer teams in South Africa.

According to calculations and extrapolations done by the Dreamfields Project – an organisation that has been equipping youth soccer teams in South Africa since 2007 – R125m would provide muchneeded soccer equipment for “thousands” of development teams.

A breakdown of the funds show that at least 16 000 development teams would benefit with complete soccer kits, which include a full set of shirts, shorts and socks, complete with numbers and logos. It would also be enough to provide for 34 286 training equipment kits which include agility hurdles, soccer bibs, marker cones and practice balls.

On Sunday, South African Football Association (Safa) president Danny Jordaan revealed that the organising committee had made a payment from its World Cup Legacy Fund as a contribution towards the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football’s (Concacaf) development fund.

The revelations from Jordaan came amid claims that South Africa’s football governing body had paid a bribe to secure 2010 cup hosting rights.

However, Safa denied the allegations, claiming the money paid was an above-board donation to support the building of a football centre for people in the African diaspora – specifically in the Caribbean.

World Cup analyst Nikolaus Eberl said he had been surprised to learn Safa had donated money to the Concacaf development fund when South Africa could have used the funding to boost their own soccer development.

“Clearly there is a massive need to develop soccer in South Africa at a youth level and you would think that every dollar counts,” Eberl told Saturday Star.

He added that when Jordaan had taken over as president of Safa, he stressed the need to improve the development of local soccer.

“When he was elected president, Jordaan said that the Safa executive would serve South African football,” said Eberl.

“He spoke in-depth about the need for a change of structure, and said the challenge for Safa would be to develop and reconstruct South African football.”

Eberl also bemoaned the fact that Safa had “wasted” money from the World Cup Legacy Fund.

Originally intended to amount to $100m (now R1.2 billion), the legacy fund ended up as $80m, with $10m going towards the building of Safa House, with the other $10m going towards the alleged donation to the Concacaf development fund.

“South Africa benefited mostly from the new infrastructure, such as the Gautrain, upgrading the roads and airports and secondly in terms of tourism, which has seen a significant increase in incoming numbers since 2010,” said Eberl.

“Unfortunately the nation-building legacy has been wasted and the football development legacy could have been so much greater had the monies been channelled and allocated differently.”

Eberl, who has analysed several World Cups, including the 2010 spectacle in South Africa, said it was a “great shame that South Africa is now being implicated in the Fifa scandal”.

“Safa needs to come clean and own up to the $10m transaction.

“After all, authorisation for the money transfer was given on a Safa letterhead signed by then president Molefi Olifant,” he said.

“The longer the allegations drag on, the worse the implications for South Africa’s brand image will become, especially in the wake of the neverending Nkandla scandal.” - Saturday Star

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Failure not an option for Barca

Barcelona is driven by a desire to prove that the quiet evolution of recent months has not taken anything from their unique genius.

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They arrived in the broiling heat of Berlin yesterday with different motivations. Juventus came with the memories of Heysel and its victims in their hearts, Barcelona driven by a desire to prove that the quiet evolution of recent months has not taken anything from their unique genius.

Ultimately, though, the quest is the same as it has always been before this grand occasion. When you get here, when you stand on the doorstep, it is about finding one last performance to get you through the door.

On the face of it tonight, the greater challenge at Berlin’s iconic Olympiastadion belongs to the Italian champions from Turin. Their journey to Germany has been a surprising one.

‘I must admit I thought this would take two or three years,’ said Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

For Barcelona, however, expectation always sits heavy. Having won Europe’s blue riband competition twice in three years under Pep Guardiola in 2009 and 2011, the Catalan club threatened to take ownership of the trophy until their coach decided to take a time out.

Here tonight, after the relatively fallow years of the late Tito Vilanova and Gerardo Martino, coach Luis Enrique has the opportunity to underline the generally accepted feeling that Barcelona — the Barca of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar — are once again the greatest club side in the world. From that point of view, failure is not an option.

‘We have an amazing team,’ said Barcelona defender Gerard Pique. ‘We have one of the best teams in the history of our club. This game is something we have been working towards all season and we are not in the mood to fail now.’

A month ago, neutrals would perhaps have hoped for a Barcelona-Real Madrid final. Seeing el clasico as a roadshow certainly would have been something. In ending that story at the semi-final stage, however, Juventus showed that they will provide Barcelona with something more than a lesson in obduracy on what promises to be a stiflingly hot evening.

In the first leg in Turin in particular, Massimiliano Allegri’s team unsettled Real with their direct and energetic counter-attacking play. Carlos Tevez, who won and scored a penalty, appeared young again while Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio provided a midfield platform that will be fundamental if Juventus are to see enough of the ball in key areas this evening.

‘We will expect to have the ball and control possession and they will counter-attack,’ added Pique. ‘They have a lot of power up front and some good midfielders who are strong and go box to box.

‘They are an Italian team but they always want to play with the ball. They showed that against Madrid and will try and do the same to us.’

Sitting alongside Pique at last night’s Barcelona press conference was the Brazilian, Neymar. His verbal offerings were nothing like as expansive as his work on the field but he did cast the trophy a covetous glance as he walked into the room.

‘This is the most important match of my life,’ he said. ‘It has been a dream since I was a child to win this cup. Leo (Messi) and Luis (Suarez) are two extraordinary players and I am just lucky to play with them and learn from them.’

Juventus, it seems, know their place ahead of tonight but, equally, the role of underdog is not one that sits particularly well with the two-time winners of the competition.

‘We know we are one step below Barcelona but this is only one game so the difference is reduced,’ said defender Leonardo Bonucci.

‘We are not here to be sacrificial lambs or victims. Juventus have always had a reputation for great players, great champions, many trophies, and that makes us aware of what we have to live up to. This is a club that wins things.’

The first time Juventus won the European Cup, of course, was in 1985. Recently the club, along with Liverpool, marked the 30-year anniversary of a match — and a disaster — at Heysel Stadium that claimed 39 lives.

Yesterday coach Allegri and his players struck the appropriate tone. ‘It is very important,’ said Allegri. ‘Thirty years ago we saw a tragedy which is going to stay with us and has gone down in the history of football. So I think for Juventus, for Italian fans and for world football, this year is a year to be remembered. Most importantly, we have to think about the families of the victims.’

On the field tonight, Allegri will miss his defensive rock Giorgio Chiellini, absent with a calf injury. That at least saves us from the sideshow of a reunion with his World Cup assailant, Suarez. There is, of course, still the prospect of Suarez’s reunion with Juventus’s former Manchester United left back Patrice Evra to think about.

It is to be hoped that storyline does not break the surface of what could be an absorbing game. The Olympiastadion is a venue worthy of a classic and we could get one.– Daily Mail

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New letter implicates Jordaan

A fresh letter has emerged implicating South Africa 2010 World Cup boss Danny Jordaan in the Fifa World Cup scandal.

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A fresh letter has emerged implicating South Africa 2010 World Cup boss Danny Jordaan – now mayor of Port Elizabeth – and the country’s government in the $10 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 deputy finance minister in president Thabo Mbeki’s government.

The 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 yesterday, is entitled: “$10m 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 $10m 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.”

It continues: “In view of this determination, I want to suggest that Fifa deducts this amount ($10m) from the LOC’s future operational budget and deals directly with the diaspora legacy support programme.”

Valcke denied signing off the payment when allegations first arose but a March 2008 letter released by the SA Football Association blew apart these claims. Independent on Saturday

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Henderson’s rallying call to Liverpool

Jordan Henderson is Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers' captain-in-waiting after the departure of Steven Gerrard.

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Liverpool's last day 6-1 defeat to Stoke City was “horrendous” Jordan Henderson said this week but the midfielder has backed Brendan Rodgers to rebuild the team this summer and win a trophy next season.

The 24-year-old is Rodgers' captain-in-waiting after the departure of Steven Gerrard and, speaking at St George's Park this week, ahead of England's friendly against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin tomorrow, Henderson said the manager had the backing of his players. “Of course I wanted him [Brendan] to stay,” he said. “I have always spoken very highly of Brendan ever since he came to the club and he has been good to me and fantastic for Liverpool.”

“This season is a big season for everyone involved. We all know that. We want to be finishing as high in the league as we possibly can but also winning trophies.

“We have a great group of lads, there is great potential but it is time now we started showing that potential in the Premier League and in cup competitions. Getting to semi-finals is great but we need to be getting to finals and winning them.”

Henderson was on the squad trip to Dubai at the end of the season, a gesture from the players to say farewell to Gerrard, which he said became a worthwhile team- bonding exercise after the deflation at the end of the season. “We were gutted with the last game of the season, devastated with how it had gone and to be honest no one really wanted to go but it was Stevie leaving and we wanted to say thank you and bye to him.”

It came after a dreadful defeat to Stoke which Henderson said was one of his worst experiences in football. “It was awful really. I cannot really explain the feelings when you are in the game. It was horrendous. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, but again we have got to move on and forget about that and start afresh next season. Everyone was devastated at half-time and we had to try and pick ourselves up going into the second half.”

He said the signing of James Milner would lend experience to the team in the absence of Gerrard and added he hoped his team-mate and friend Raheem Sterling would stay too. “You have to keep your best players as well and for me Raheem is an outstanding player. Off the pitch everyone loves him, he is a great lad, he is getting a lot of criticism but I couldn't fault his work ethic, the way he goes about his business, he hasn't got an ego. He is a huge player for us and we need to keep him.

“I am a good friend of Raheem and we speak in private. Everyone knows what I think but it is up to Raheem the path he wants to choose. At the end of the day he is a very mature young lad for what he has been through so far in his career, he is level-headed and knows what he wants. I hope the decision comes that he stays at Liverpool.” – The Independent

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Neymar eyes Champions League glory

Neymar says Barcelona's Champions League final against Juventus will be a dream come true as he plans to celebrate writing history by kissing the trophy.

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Brazil star Neymar says Barcelona's Champions League final against Juventus will be a dream come true as he plans to celebrate writing history by kissing the trophy.

The 23-year-old will finish his second season at Barca in his first Champions League final with the Spaniards bidding to emulate their 2009 feat of winning the treble of European, league and cup titles.

Victory would see Barca become the first club to win the European treble twice.

“For me to be able to play this final is a dream, ever since I was six or seven years old I have been dreaming of this opportunity to win a Champions League final,” said Neymar.

“Now the time has come and that is why I am going to do what I have to do, so I can enjoy the moments alongside my team mates.

“I have played in lots of finals in my life, but this is the most important one for me.

“I hope I can kiss the trophy at the end of it all and thank god for everything.

“Leo (Messi) and Luis (Suarez) are two players of a very high level.

“We understand each other on and off the pitch, we get on very well.

“I hope to end the season in a happy way taking advantage of the work of all the year with the team and we can be victors.”

Neymar has played his part in Barcelona's record-breaking season by scoring 38 of the 120 goals netted alongside his fellow superstars Messi and Suarez.

Juventus for their part are also bidding to join the exclusive club of treble winners having already secured the league and cup double. – AFP

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Cleverley to join Everton

Everton have agreed to sign England midfielder Tom Cleverley on a five-year deal when his Manchester United contract expires on July 1.

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Everton have agreed to sign England midfielder Tom Cleverley on a five-year deal when his Manchester United contract expires on July 1, the Premier League club said on Friday.

Cleverley spent the majority of last season on loan at Aston Villa, becoming a key figure in their run to the FA Cup final.

He has played 13 times for England and was called up to the squad on Friday as an injury replacement for Tottenham Hotspur's Ryan Mason for Sunday's friendly against Ireland and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia the following week.

“He is a perfect fit for what we are trying to build here as he has so much experience of playing in the Premier League and he still has his best years just ahead of him,” Everton manager Roberto Martinez said on the club website (www.evertonfc.com).

“At the age of 25 and a player who is representing his country, Tom has experienced winning trophies and having big roles in demanding teams...

“It says a lot also, when someone like Tom is available on a free transfer and he can pick his next club out of many options home and abroad, that he has chosen to play for our football club. That's the perfect start to his career here at Everton.”

Cleverley won the Premier League title with United in 2013, but failed to become a first-team regular and had loan spells at Leicester City, Watford and Wigan Athletic as well as Villa. – Reuters

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Fifa crisis worse than Olympic scandal

Dick Pound, who headed the investigation to clean up the International Olympic Committee after the 2002 Salt Lake City winter games corruption scandal, said that the Fifa crisis was worse than anything the IOC faced.

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Canadian lawyer Dick Pound, who headed the investigation to clean up the International Olympic Committee after the 2002 Salt Lake City winter games corruption scandal, said on Friday that the Fifa crisis was worse than anything the IOC faced.

“I think it is deeper rooted and it is far more serious,” Pound said in a telephone interview. “You are talking about corruption, bribes, money laundering, all sorts of stuff.”

Pound noted that while criminal charges were brought against two people in the Salt Lake City bribery and corruption case but then dropped, Fifa's situation was “far more complex to try and sort out than ours was.”

“It's going to get messy before it gets cleared up,” Pound said.

World soccer's governing body was plunged into the worst crisis in the organization's 111-year history on May 27 when Swiss police staged a dawn raid in Zurich and arrested several officials on charges filed by U.S. prosecutors in New York.

Fifa, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, has won plaudits for promoting soccer in every corner of the globe, but its “one-nation, one-vote” structure has its risks, laid bare by the corruption scandal.

Robert Boland, professor of sports management at New York University, said an executive board that would also have representatives from sponsors and players, was one way to go.

“If Fifa would be run more like a corporation, it would be much better than the current democratic representative body format,” Boland said.

Boland said the IOC had powerful governing bodies for Track and Field and Swimming, for example, to act as counterweights, a natural check in the system that Fifa does not have.

Pound knows something about cleaning up messes.

The onetime Olympic swimmer and former influential IOC executive board member was appointed by then IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch to clean up the organization and usher in sweeping reforms following the Salt Lake City scandal.

When the IOC was faced with a doping crisis that threatened to undermine the integrity of the Summer and Winter Games, Pound was once again called upon to establish and run the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Fifa is caught in a widening criminal probe. The FBI was also looking into how World Cup hosting rights were awarded to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022, according to a U.S. law enforcement official.

Beleaguered Zurich-based Fifa president Sepp Blatter announced on Tuesday that he would step down just days after being re-elected for a fifth term.

Before U.S. law enforcement officials brought the charges focused mainly on soccer governing bodies in North and South America, Central America and the Caribbean, speculation and allegations had swirled for years in soccer circles.

“I'm not surprised there has been so much smoke around this,” Pound said. He said the charges had not touched Asia, Africa or the Middle East and “maybe what is going on in America is just chicken feed in the great scheme of things.”

Blatter's departure will not in itself polish Fifa's tarnished image and rid the organization of corruption, he said.

“It is a little bit like alcoholism, unless the person involved, the organization involved acknowledges there is a problem you can't solve it.”

Harvard Business School senior fellow Bill George, a soccer fan who was once chair and chief executive officer of Medtronic Inc medical technology company, said Fifa needed “a clean sweep.” “The same people can't set up a new governance.” – Reuters

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Jordaan’s focus on politics, not Fifa woes

Danny Jordaan says he is concentrating on his new role as mayor of Port Elizabeth, and not on the Fifa scandal.

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Cape Town - Danny Jordaan, the central figure in South Africa's 2010 World Cup bid which is now implicated in vote buying, is concentrating on his new role as mayor of Port Elizabeth rather than answering allegations made in U.S. court documents.

Jordaan, also the president of the South African Football Association, was billed to appear at a Johannesburg press conference on Wednesday to answer the allegations but did not appear. Instead sports minister Fikile Mbalula repeated South African government denials.

“He is fully focused on his tasks as mayor. He has been spending his time consulting with various communities about the city's budget,” Jordaan's spokesman Roland Williams told local radio on Thursday.

South Africa stands accused of bribing Fifa executive committee for votes to obtain the right to host the 2010 World Cup, court documents said.

Jordaan, the driving force behind the 2010 bid and after that the chief executive officer of the local organising committee, was inaugurated as mayor of the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, including Port Elizabeth and outlying areas, last Thursday.

The ruling African National Congress, for whom he is a former member of Parliament, asked him to take over a troubled city council racked by factional conflict. They said he was A perfect candidate because of his administrative success in helping South Africa win the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.

But the move could backfire as allegations that South Africa paid bribes for votes are detailed in U.S. court documents following the indictment of 14 football officials in the last week, including serving and former Fifa vice presidents. – Reuters

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I’ll kick ass in PSL - Jomo

Following Jomo Cosmos’ promotion to the PSL, Jomo Sono says his team is ready to take on the challenge of the top league head on.

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‘I’m going to kick ass,” Jomo Sono says before cracking into a naughty boyish giggle. Of course he knows it will be hard to do so, but the Jomo Cosmos boss has all intentions to see his club not only stay up in the Absa Premiership but be competitive as well.

Speaking immediately after guiding his team back to the elite league, Sono described his team as ready to take on the challenge of the top league head on.

“We will compete. It is not nice to be labelled a yo-yo team and we would like to change that.”

And he has already made plans to ensure Cosmos hit the ground running when they return to the top league.

“We knew we would get promoted so we have already signed a few experienced players to beef up our squad. But we will still look for more,” he said after Cosmos’ 1-0 victory over Moroka Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium, a win that saw them top the three-team promotional play-offs on goal difference over Black Leopards.

Sono said he is likely to lose key striker Charlton Mashumba with three Premiership teams and some European outfits already having expressed keen interest in the 22-year-old Zimbabwean. Mashumba’s goals (17) were key to Ezenkosi finishing second in the NFD with the most number of strikes (52). He was also their top scorer in the play-offs with two goals.

Losing Mashumba will not be a train smash for Cosmos with Sono renowned for his incredible eye for talent and there’s every reason to foresee him finding an equally good replacement.

Beating Swallows twice in the play-offs (they hammered the Birds 4-1 in the first round clash) to ensure the Dube Birds went down was sweet revenge for Sono.

“They got us relegated the last time and now we got them relegated so we’re even. But I have very mixed feelings about it because Swallows supported me (Cosmos) when we were expelled from football in 1986. They staged a protest against the decision and I hope they come back immediately,” he remembered “It is painful to see old teams, especially black ones like Swallows and AmaZulu go down. They were founder members of the NSL and it would be good to see them come back.”

Sono also expressed sympathy for Leopards whom he narrowly beat to the promotion.

“These things happen. It could have been us or them (getting promoted) and I am sure Leopards will work hard next season to make it.”

Few will begrudge Cosmos their return to the elite league after they had a splendid season in the NFD where they finished second behind champions Golden Arrows. In previous years that feat would have earned them automatic promotion and Sono has actually called on the league to relook the play-offs system.

Not that he will experience it again, Sono’s hell-bent on seeing Cosmos return to their old days of being among the country’s top eight sides in the new season where he will “kick ass”. - The Star

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Fifa can’t protect itself anymore

The U.S.-led investigations into corruption at Fifa have pierced the veil of secrecy that protected soccer's top power-brokers.

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Melbourne - The U.S.-led investigations into corruption at Fifa have pierced the veil of secrecy that protected soccer's top power-brokers and more dominoes can be expected to fall, said a former investigator on the governing body's ethics committee.

Nicholas Davidson, a prominent lawyer and honorary president of New Zealand's football association, resigned from his role on Fifa's investigatory chamber before Swiss police arrested seven senior officials in Zurich last week.

While defending the work of the ethics committee and its “fearless” personnel, Davidson said the governing body's lack of transparency had set it up to fail.

“It strikes me from my observations of the people who work in the business, and I'm talking about ordinary employees, (they are) hugely skilful, talented people, and dedicated,” Davidson said in a phone interview from Christchurch on Friday.

“Somewhere above that there is a veneer of people who make decisions who have the ability to intercept or be involved in some way in the vast money that goes around.”

“Those people had been protected by that layer of, if you like, working together. Now that layer, that veneer, has been pierced. And so they will talk. People talk. As Prince William said, this is the 'Salt Lake City moment'. And I think we've just scratched it.”

English FA president Prince William last week compared the Fifa scandal to the Salt Lake City Olympics corruption crisis that ultimately sparked deep reform of the International Olympic Committee and the bidding process for Games.

Davidson, who feels world soccer is going through a similar “sea-change”, stressed he left Fifa due to a change in his professional life and not because of his work there or the unfolding scandal.

However, he said he nearly quit only months after starting work in earnest last October, following the departure of Fifa's independent investigator Michael Garcia.

The former U.S. attorney submitted a report of his 18-month investigation into the controversial bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which are now the subject of a probe by Swiss authorities. A summary of that report released by Fifa ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert in November found some impropriety by bid teams, but not enough to re-open the bidding process for the showpiece events due to be held in Russia and Qatar respectively.

Garcia, who complained the summary misrepresented his report, resigned in December after his appeal against Eckert's statement was rejected by a Fifa committee.

“At that stage I was going to step down, but I was persuaded there was much to be done from this report and that investigations would be open,” said Davidson, who credited Cornel Borbely, chairman of the ethics committee's investigatory chamber, for talking him round.

Davidson declined to comment on the scope of his work, only to say it was separate from the allegations swirling around the officials and media executives indicted last week.

Though he ultimately decided to stay on until recently, Davidson expressed his frustration that, as a member of the investigatory chamber, he was denied access to both Garcia's report and the American's appeal brief against Eckert's summary.

He said the report, still under wraps despite promises that it will be published, should be released so long as it would not prejudice any ongoing investigations or prosecutions.

“I'd come out with all the main areas of investigation where Garcia has pointed to there being illicit conduct. I think they need to be identified,” he said.

Though the effectiveness of Fifa's ethics committee as an anti-corruption unit has been questioned by pundits, Davidson defended his former colleagues and said their hands were tied.

He said he urged Fifa to establish protocols with national law enforcement agencies to assist their work, having not found any in place during his tenure.

“I saw enough of Garcia and Borbely to realise they were both completely fearless and were working to the highest standards of investigation and interview techniques,” he said.

“You can ask questions, what else can you do? You've got no investigation powers, you can't go and wire-tap. You can't do things a (law enforcement) investigations agency can do.” – Reuters

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Mbeki knew about $10m payment

Senior South African officials approved the $10 million payment that US authorities describe as a bribe to host the 2010 World Cup.

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Senior South African officials, including then President Thabo Mbeki, approved the $10 million payment that US authorities describe as a bribe to host the 2010 World Cup, local media reported Friday.

A US indictment last week said the cash was paid to former Fifa executive Jack Warner to secure the right to hold the tournament in 2010 -- one of a slew of recent allegations of corruption at football's world governing body.

But South Africa has rejected the accusation, saying the $10 million payment was an honest donation to support football among the “African diaspora” in the Caribbean.

“President Mbeki spoke with the leadership of the 2010 World Cup local organising committee,” Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula told the Beeld newspaper when asked who made the decision to pay the $10 million.

“(It was) the government's idea.”

The Mail and Guardian on Friday published a 2007 letter from World Cup bid chief Danny Jordaan to Fifa about South Africa's plan to donate funds to the “Diaspora legacy support programme”.

Jordaan wrote that then foreign minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is now chair of the African Union Commission, had advised that the money should paid from the government to the organising committee.

Fifa would then deduct the sum from the organising committee's budget and pay it straight to the “diaspora programme”, Jordaan added.

The South African payment is central to the corruption scandal that forced Fifa president Sepp Blatter to announce his resignation amid revelations about years of bribery within football.

The “diaspora programme” was virtually unknown in South Africa, but in a 2011 interview Mbeki said that some funds had been given to develop soccer in the Caribbean, where Jack Warner was a senior Fifa executive. – AFP

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How Barca turned around their fortunes

Barcelona appeared engulfed in crisis on and off the pitch only a few months ago and yet they only one step away from completing a treble.

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Barcelona - Barcelona appeared engulfed in crisis on and off the pitch only a few months ago and yet in a remarkable turnaround they are now one step away from a historic second treble.

The Catalan giants are in devastating form as they prepare to take on Juventus in the Champions League final on Saturday aiming to repeat their success in 2009 when they became the first Spanish side to win the treble.

Led by an inspirational Lionel Messi they have already won La Liga and bagged the King's Cup playing a ruthless direct style.

The attacking trident of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez has hit 120 goals between them so far, more than any other trio in Spain before.

“We have a good relationship and if you get on well away from the pitch then it makes it a lot easier,” Messi told UEFA.com this week.

Yet as when Pep Guardiola took over in 2008 and led Barca to their first treble haul, this season began with an air of uncertainty.

Barca had lost their way following the golden years of Guardiola at the helm and the previous campaign under Gerardo Martino had seen all the major trophies escape them.

Tito Vilanova had replaced Guardiola but a battle with cancer meant he spent lengthy spells undergoing treatment in New York while his assistant Jordi Roura oversaw the preparation of the team.

Barca did go on to win La Liga in 2012-13 but there was a feeling that the team was lacking leadership and direction that Vilanova was unable to provide.

The deterioration in the state of his health saw him step down to be replaced by Argentine Martino, and given one season to come to terms with a new league and a club with high demands he was unable to deliver.

A major overhaul of the side was needed with players appearing to be going through the motions and the style of short passing football that had brought them so much success under Guardiola looking stale.

The strong-minded Luis Enrique, a fan favourite as a player, was brought in but the early signs were not good and, by the turn of the year, after a bust-up with Messi, his job appeared to be on the line.

Luis Enrique had chopped and changed the team repeatedly as he appeared not to know his best formation, while his blunt talking saw him clash with the media.

Meanwhile, off the pitch the board was under pressure following Fifa's decision to uphold Barca's transfer ban for two windows due to breaking rules over the signing of foreign under-18 players.

This came on top of the Neymar transfer scandal that had dragged the club's board through the Spanish courts amid allegations of tax fraud and made them admit that rather than 57.1 million euros ($63.44 million) the real cost was closer to 100 million euros.

Under escalating pressure, sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta paid the price and was shown the door while president Josep Maria Bartomeu announced elections for the end of the season.

However, out of this chaos the pieces began to fall into place on the pitch based around a new understanding between Messi and Luis Enrique which allowed the individual talents of the strikers to come to the fore.

Barca romped to a Spanish double, clinching the title with a game to spare, and thumped Athletic Bilbao to secure a record-extending 27th Cup triumph on Saturday.

Their transformation from a club apparently in crisis to one on the brink of a treble shows how quickly fortunes can change in soccer - for better and for worse. – Reuters

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