Washington - Charles "Chuck" Blazer pleaded guilty in 2013 to bribery in connection with the FIFA votes that gave the 1998 Soccer World Cup to France and the 2010 event to South Africa, according to a US federal court document unsealed on Wednesday.
His guilty plea in a Brooklyn federal courtroom was kept secret for two years so that he could apparently testify before a grand jury against some of the nine FIFA officials and five others indicted last week in the United States in an investigation of bribery and corruption in the world football organization.
Blazer pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and kickbacks in conjunction with five Gold Cup tournaments held between 1996 and 2003 by the regional Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) group.
He served as CONCACAF general secretary from 1990-2011.