agence france presse
New York, June 4: Chuck Blazer admitted in court testimony released Wednesday here that he conspired with fellow FIFA executives to accept bribes during the process to choose hosts for the 1998 and 2010 World Cups in France and South Africa.
The bearded multimillionaire, the face of North American soccer for two decades, pleaded guilty to racketeering, part of a massive US corruption case targeting world football’s governing body.
Blazer’s testimony is a key plank in the US investigation against FIFA, which the federal court document describes as a ‘Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organisation’.
The 70-year-old admitted to a raft of charges related to his leadership of the North and Central American soccer body CONCACAF and membership of FIFA’s executive committee. He is awaiting sentencing and may be called to testify in the trials of other sports executives. The most serious charge, racketeering, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
“Among other things, I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup,” Blazer said in his plea.
Blazer also accepted that he and ‘others in the FIFA executive committee’ agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup.
Blazer also admitted that he and others ‘agreed to accept bribes and kickbacks’ over broadcast and other rights to the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2003 Gold Cup tournaments for teams governed by CONCACAF.
After pleading guilty to 10 counts, including tax evasion, behind the closed-door November 2013 hearing here, Blazer was released on bail set at $10 million. He told Judge Raymond Dearie that he was being treated for rectal cancer, and had diabetes and coronary artery disease.
US media has reported that the FBI is now looking into Sepp Blatter’s role as FIFA president in the tens of millions of dollars of bribes given to football officials.
