Govt 'gave' Safa R25m

2004-08-30 13:25

Cape Town - The government says it has not been asked to make any money available for bonuses to any of the World Cup bid officials - and says its sole contribution was R25m towards the final costs of the recent successful bid for the 2010 World Cup.

Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said in reply to a question in parliament from Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Donald Lee that the SA 2010 bid committee had requested R25m.

The government had agreed to this contribution, but the money "had to be used for specific costs relating to the bid phase".

Asked whether the government intended making money available for the payment of bonuses to any of the World Cup bid officials, he said: "No, there has not been a request from the bid committee or the SA Football Association (Safa) to government to make money available for this purpose."

Safa's executive announced in July that Safa president Molefi Oliphant, 2010 bid committee chair Irvin Khoza and CEO Danny Jordaan would receive about R7.5m each for their efforts in the bidding for South Africa to host the 2010 soccer World Cup.

- I-Net Bridge (Business)