By Paul Nicholson in Moscow
June 10 – FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has given a passionate explanation of why the $10 million that ended up in the hands of Jack Warner was transferred, at South Africa’s request, via FIFA to Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and CONCACAF accounts.
Speaking at a press conference in Samara, Russia, after meetings with the Russia 2018 World Cup organising committee, Valcke emphasised that FIFA was acting on the request of the South African government and that the money was transferred to CFU and CONCACAF accounts and not directly to Jack Warner.
“The money was requested to be sent by FIFA based on a letter I received – there is an official request from South Africa to pay it … they asked us that $10m should be taken from the World Cup budget … and based on that we organised that all the paper was signed between the local organizing committee to make sure that they recognized that the $10m would be deducted from the World Cup budget…it is clearly defined so I am amazed that people are jumping on this today,” said Valcke.
He said that FIFA has control systems in place for its own funds but that the use of the $10 million was not under their control or jurisdiction.
“We have a system in place at FIFA to make sure that we control what people are doing. Why we have not controlled the use of the funds which we were asked to pay? It was not FIFA’s money… because we have not been asked to control it,” said Valcke.
Valcke continued: “Whenever FIFA spends money on the financial assistance programme or the GOAL assistance projects any money we are spending anywhere in the world there is a system in place. We control every penny spent by the members associations.”
He also clarified the destination of the money that was transferred from FIFA saying: “It is not true that the money was transferred to Jack Warner’s account, it was a CFU account and CONCACAF. Do you think that FIFA would send the money to private accounts just on the basis that Jack Warner said so? Both accounts were recognised as CFU and CONCACAF accounts.
“So I don’t see where is the issue.”
Valcke did ask the question why the CFU and CONCACAF had not paid closer attention to the destination of the money.
“The money was transferred in 2008. Why based on that did no-one at the CFU, no-one at CONCACAF ask on the use of this money. Why is this the fault of FIFA when the money is not FIFA’s money … FIFA has no responsibility for this money… it was a gift to the Caribbean…why does FIFA suddenly have to explain the misuse of this money.
“Why did the CFU not contact us? They have their own organisation, they have their own executive committee, their own finance committee, they have all the structure in place to makes sure that when the money is transferred into their accounts they should follow the use of money.”
Valcke referred to the criticism he had received in the media in France in particular, but said: “You have decided after Blatter that I have to be cut, then fine. But don’t use this $10 million, I have done nothing wrong. If (at) FIFA we had been asked to control the use of the $10 million we would have done as we are doing for the $1 billion.”
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