Disgraced former FIFA vice president Jack Warner pocketed a USD 10 million payment made by South Africa through football's world body, the BBC reported today.
Citing papers it has seen, the BBC said the 72-year-old Trinidadian laundered money through a supermarket chain, made cash withdrawals, paid off his credit cards and took personal loans from the sum.
US investigators suspect the USD 10 million was a bribe intended to secure votes so that South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup.
South Africa says the money, paid in 2008, was intended to pay for football development for the African diaspora in the Caribbean, where Warner was the longtime football baron.
Warner has also denied any corruption.
In three transactions -- on January 4, February 1 and March 10 2008 -- funds totalling USD 10 million were moved from FIFA's bank into an account of Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) which was controlled by Warner, then its' president.
The BBC said JTA Supermarkets, a large chain in Trinidad, received USD 4.86 million.
The money was paid in instalments from January 2008 to March 2009. The largest payment was USD 1,350,000 paid in February 2008.
US prosecutors say the money was mostly paid back to Mr Warner in local currency.
The documents also show $360,000 of the FIFA money was withdrawn by people connected to Mr Warner.
Nearly USD 1.6 million was used to pay Warner's credit cards and personal loans.
The documents show the largest personal loan Mr Warner provided for himself was USD 410,000. The largest credit card payment was USD 87,000.
Brent Sancho, Trinidad's Sports Minister and a former international footballer, was appalled by the revelations.
"He [Mr Warner] must face justice, he must answer all of these questions. Justice has to be served," he told the BBC.
"He will have to account, with this investigation, he will have to answer for his actions," added Sancho, who played in all three of Trinidad's matches at the 2006 World Cup finals.
