How Germany Bribed To Win 2006 World Cup Hosting Right

Germany sent rocket-propelled grenades to Saudi Arabia to swing 2006 World Cup vote according to the latest sensational claims in the FIFA scandal.

German newspaper, Die Zeit, say the German government sent Saudi Arabia a shipment of arms to persuade them to support 2006 World Cup bid Then Chancellor Gerhard Schroder allegedly authorised shipment of rocket-propelled grenades week before vote back in 2000.

Germany beat South Africa 12-11 in final round of voting.  Die Zeit say the country’s Football Association arranged for Schroder’s administration to supply the arms in order to swing the Saudi vote from Morocco to Germany ahead of the vote in 2000.

It helped tip the knife-edge vote in Germany’s favour as they defeated South Africa 12-11 in the final round and duly hosted the World Cup finals six years later.

The shipment of RPGs was part of a concerted effort by German politicians and business leaders to persuade the members of FIFA’s executive committee to vote for them, Die Zeit report.

German firms Volkswagen and Bayer promised higher investment in Thailand and South Korea, while Daimler invested 100m euros (£73m) in South Korean motor company Hyundai.

Meanwhile, a fresh letter has emerged implicating South Africa 2010 World Cup boss Danny Jordaan and the country’s government in the $10m (£6.5m) payment that forms a central part of the FBI-led investigation into FIFA corruption launched last week.

The December 2007 letter, from Jordaan to FIFA general-secretary Jerome Valcke, supports the allegation that the South African government agreed to the payment, which the US authorities allege was a bribe, disguised as a football legacy development grant, to CONCACAF chief Jack Warner and his deputy Chuck Blazer.

The letter names Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Jabu Moleketi, respectively foreign affairs minister and deputy finance minister in the government of then-president Thabo Mbeki.

The $10m payment was allegedly used to secure support on the FIFA executive committee for South Africa’s bid to host the 2010 World Cup.