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FIFA official named by FBI as suspect in 2010 World Cup bribe

An illuminated FIFA logo sits on a sign at the FIFA headquarters on December 3, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Image: FIFA continues to make the headlines in the news

A high-ranking FIFA official has been identified by the FBI as a criminal suspect in a £6.6m bribe paid in return for votes for 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa.

A new indictment from the US department of justice refers to the unnamed official as "co-conspirator 17" and states he caused three payments totalling $10m (£6.6m) to be wired from a FIFA account in Switzerland to an account controlled by the now-disgraced former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner.

Two letters from different South African FA officials in 2007 and 2008 instruct FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke - who is currently suspended - to make the payment.

The indictment states the money in the payment was in return for World Cup votes by Warner and his deputy Chuck Blazer, who has pleaded guilty to the charge.

An email from Valcke in December 2007 also states Sepp Blatter, also currently suspended from his post as FIFA president, had been involved with discussions over the payment. Valcke and Blatter have insisted they believed the money was to help football development in the Caribbean.

Jack Warner on youtube
Image: Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner is at the centre of some of the allegations

The US attorney general released the new indictments on Friday following the arrests in Zurich of two more FIFA vice-presidents - Juan Angel Napout and Alfredo Hawitt. They were among 16 new officials indicted as part of a conspiracy accused of corruption offences totalling £130m.

Meanwhile, sportswear giant Nike has defended itself after the indictment made new accusations saying Ricardo Teixeira, former head of the Brazil's football federation (CBF), made $20m (£13.2m) out of the company's 1996 sponsorship deal with the national team.

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The indictments state the company agreed to pay $160m (£105.8m) for a 10-year deal to sponsor the CBF - but also agreed to pay an affiliate of Traffic, the marketing company at the centre of the corruption allegations, an additional $40m (£26.5m) into a Swiss bank account.

Sepp Blatter speaks during a press conference at the Extraordinary FIFA Executive Committee Meeting
Image: Sepp Blatter is currently suspended as the president of FIFA

Of this, half was transferred to Teixeira, who was also a FIFA executive committee member until 2012.

A Nike statement said: "There is no allegation in the charging documents that any Nike employee was aware of or knowingly participated in any bribery or kickback scheme.

"Nike believes in ethical and fair play in both business and sport and strongly opposes any form of manipulation or bribery."

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