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Cape Town - The South African Football Association (SAFA) has denied claims made by former CEO Leslie Sedibe that millions of rands were illegally received ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
According to Sunday World, Sedibe revealed that former Local Organising Committee (LOC) head and current SAFA president Danny Jordaan set up a meeting with Ajay Gupta and former South African President Jacob Zuma.
Sedibe says that the meeting was held at Saxonwold just ahead of the tournament.
SAFA has denied all allegations and are set to take legal action against Sedibe.
READ THE STATEMENT BELOW:
The South African Football Association (SAFA) has taken note of an allegation, purportedly made by Leslie Sedibe, former SAFA CEO, as published in a Sunday newspaper.
SAFA restates that the budget approved by FIFA for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was $423m from the start and remained as such to the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) was fully funded by FIFA and was bound by a regulatory framework including governance oversight by a board of directors.
This information has been released to the public and news organisations on multiple occasions and the facts remain unchanged.
No deduction from the LOC budget ever occurred. The “hole” that is being referred to in the statements in the Sunday Newspapers in the LOC budget is a fabrication. EY confirmed that the approved budget of the LOC was never reduced.
In a letter to SAFA from FIFA dated 20 February 2013 FIFA states “The financial statements of the LOC have been subjected to audit for each year of operation and have been submitted to, and approved by, the AGM of the LOC on each occasion with an unqualified audit opinion.
Furthermore, the overall results of the LOC were included in the FIFA Financial Report 2010, which report was submitted to and approved by the 61st FIFA Congress in 2011.
For the avoidance of doubt FIFA has at no time been aware of anything other than full compliance with the governance structures of the LOC in respect to all LOC financial transactions”.
The allegation of a loan to close the “hole” is therefore unfounded, false and misleading.
SAFA and Dr Jordaan reserve their rights in this matter and will seek to take the necessary legal action against Leslie Sedibe, if it is found that the currently unsigned complaint in SAFA’s possession is deemed to be authorised by him.
