Investigators alleged that former CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) president Jack Warner received in 2008 a $10 million bribe from South Africa in order to help it win the World Cup bid in 2010, a claim which South Africa denied the following day.
"We stand by our initial statement that the government of the Republic of South Africa has not bribed anyone to secure the rights of 2010 World Cup," Mbalula said at a press conference in Johannesburg.
On May 31, Jordaan told local media that a $10 million payment was made to CONCACAF in 2008 as the country's contribution to their football development fund, clarifying that it was not a bribe. He added that the country was chosen to host the 2010 Cup in 2004, and suggested that it makes no sense to bribe for votes four years after the fact.
Last week, the US Justice Department charged 14 world soccer figures, including nine high-ranking FIFA officials, with receiving bribes totaling $150 million, in a corruption scheme that ran for some 24 years.
