Johannesburg - The hosting of the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa has been thrown into the international spotlight after a US indictment accused two "high-ranking South African football and government officials" of offering cash for votes in order to secure that the tournament was held in South Africa.
The indictment accuses the two officials, named as Co-conspirator #15 and Co-conspirator #16, of bribing Jack Warner on two occasions – the amounts totalling $10 million.
Warner, who left FIFA in 2011 after being suspended by an ethics committee looking into corruption, was also CONCACAF president and a special advisor to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation.
Warner has since been arrested in terms of the indictment.
The identities of the two the co-conspirators have not been revealed, as no arrests have been made but speculation continues to grow as to which South Africans have been implicated.
The indictment describes the two South Africans involved as “high-ranking officials of the 2006 South Africa World Cup bid committee and the 2010 South Africa World Cup bid committee and local organising committee”.
According to the indictment: "At various times relevant to the Indictment, co-conspirator #15 was a high-ranking official of the 2006 South Africa World Cup bid committee and the 2010 South Africa World Cup bid committee and local organising committee.
"At various times relevant to the Indictment, co-conspirator #16 was a high-ranking official of the 2006 South Africa World Cup bid committee and the 2010 South Africa World Cup bid committee and local organising committee."
As best can be determined, only three officials served on both the 2006 World Cup bid committee and the 2010 Soccer World Cup bid committee and local organising committee.
They were, Danny Jordaan, Tokyo Sexwale and Irvin Khoza.
Current SAFA president Danny Jordaan on Thursday could not be drawn to comment on the allegations of corruption around the 2010 World Cup.
During a briefing after his swearing in as Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Jordaan repeatedly evaded the questions.
"You see here at the back, when you see the appropriate banner, you can ask the question,” said Jordaan.
When pressed for a comment on the scandal, Jordaan said he had not said he was not going to comment on the matter, but that this was not the forum to discuss it.
"Listen, I’m saying this is not the forum, the minister of sport will be issuing a press statement, so once the statement has been issued you will have a better understanding of what you are talking about," he said.
Attempt to contact Tokyo Sexwale were fruitless. His cellphone was diverted to his personal assistant who requested that News24 send her an email inquiry which she would pass on.
Irvin Khoza was said to be in Zurich and was not answering his phone.
Here is the full list of 2010 Local Organising Committee members:
Danny Jordan
Kirsten Nematandani
Mwelo Nonkonyana
Mansoor Parker
Koos Bekker
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Raymond Hack
Michael Katz
Irvin Khoza
Kenneth Lebenya
Nomsa Mahlangu
Mubarak Mohamed
Phillip Moleketi
Kaizer Motaung
Nkosinathi Mthethwa
Mpumelelo Mtshatsha
Sydney Mufamadi
Selwyn Nathan
Nhlanhla Nene
Charles Nqakula
Molefi Oliphant
Aziz Pahad
Essop Pahad
Jeff Radebe
Leslie Sedibe
Tokyo Sexwale
Susan Shabangu
Sicelo Shiceka
Makhenkesi Stofile
Anastasia Tsichlas
Susan van der Merwe
Zwelinzima Vavi