Ghana hint at SA "payoff" on World Cup bid

IN the best tradition of the age-old supposition that "money talks", Ghana Football Association secretary-general W K Agrah yesterday made the startling claim that South Africa's World Cup Bid Committee had entered into a "financial arrangement" to ensure Ghana's withdrawal from the race for the 2006 global tournament.

"We had fruitful talks with Mr Danny Jordaan during the World Youth Cup draw in Nigeria recently," added Agrah in fuelling the controversy, "and we came to an overall agreement on co-operation in which we would withdraw from the World Cup race under specific circumstances."

Agrah said Ghana had requested a game against Bafana Bafana in South Africa as part of the pay-off to withdraw from the World Cup race, but he declined to reveal how much money had been involved.

"The match itself between Bafana and Ghana does not look like materialising," added Agrah, "because the South African authorities have told us their itinerary is currently too crowded."

But South Africa's World Cup Bid chief executive, Danny Jordaan, refuted the suggestion that a pay-off to Ghana would take place.

"We did meet various Ghanaian officials and attempted to persuade them not to carry on with their World Cup bid in order not to damage Africa's overdue right to stage the tournament.

"But why would we pay Ghana? They are on the verge of pulling out of the World Cup race, in any case, because they do not have the facilities to stage an event of this magnitude and it would have been a case of needless spending "

Jordaan said he had persuaded the Ghanaians to relinquish their bid claims because the country's infra-structure was "simply not ready and complete".

"We pointed out we were prepared to spend R100-million during our World Cup bid campaign," said Jordaan, "and asked the Ghanaians if they were going to do the same. If not, it was time to withdraw gracefully."

The Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) president, Ismael Bhamjee, said he hoped the allegations of a "pay-off" by South Africa were unfounded.

"It is in the strictest sense not illegal . . . but it constitutes an unsporting act and would be frowned on by both FIFA and CAF.

"It might be detrimental to the continent's bid for the World Cup."