Fikile Mbalula and SAFA again vehemently denied any wrongdoing in the FIFA 2010 World Cup bid during a press conference this afternoon.

In a press briefing attended by many of the world’s major news outlets, Mbalula condemned the allegations and defended the $10 million payment that we know took place from SAFA to Jack Warner’s CONCACAF federation. TimesLive reports:

[The] South African government and the LOC did not pay a bribe. We call on FBI to furnish us with the indictment. We ask all to not comment on the matter,” said the minister.

“We await details from the US Authorities. We have a duty to defend the legacy of the World Cup and our countries reputation”.

Mbalula went on to say the following, here from IOL:

The fact that a payment of $10 million was made to an approved programme above board does not equate to bribery. Those who allege should prove their allegations…

Our purpose and intent is to ensure that we respond to the allegations levelled at our country, government and its citizens.

We therefore wish to categorically deny that our country and government have bribed anyone to secure the rights to the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Now we do know that this talk of the Diaspora Legacy Programme (the reasons given by SAFA for the payment) is nothing new, with former president Thabo Mbeki having spoken about it back in 2010. Here’s the BBC:

South Africa’s whole pitch for the tournament was based around the notion of 2010 being “Africa’s World Cup” and in Mr Mbeki’s eyes that was not just a geographical concept.

[He said] “as a result of that it was then agreed that… funds that would be made available for the hosting of the World Cup in South Africa… other funds would also be made available in Trinidad and Tobago to develop soccer in the Caribbean.”

It is difficult not to be circumspect of anything both Mbalula and SAFA say given their respective histories of half truths. I guess the ball now lies in the court of the FBI, with their investigations needing to elaborate on the exact details of where we fell foul of the law with our bidding process.

Sorry Fikile but you cry wolf often enough that people will struggle to gobble up everything you have to say. Here’s hoping the FBI play ball and lay out once and for all what behind-the-scenes dirt they have. Until such a time the game of denial and deflection will continue on its merry way.

[sources:bbc&timeslive&iol]