S. Africa to investigate 2010 World Cup bribery allegations

Johannesburg - South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), the Hawks will start to investigate bribery allegations that SA Football Association was involved during the campaign of hosting 2010 World Cup.

Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwana Mulaudzi on Thursday said this decision came after a request from an opposition party.

"The Freedom Front Plus came to us on Tuesday and dropped off some documents demanding that we look at them," said Mulaudzi.

"We are going to have a preliminary investigation based on the information they have given us," he said.

He said any member of the public or political parties have the right to request an investigation on anything, and the Hawks had not been approached by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or US authorities on the controversy yet.

The Hawks will probe allegations that SA Football Association paid 10 million US dollars to the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).

Mulaudzi said, the investigation would be done in conjunction with the American authorities and the FBI which are already investigating.

South African Minister of Sports and Recreation Fikile Mbalula reiterated his stance on Wednesday that the country did not offer bribes for votes during the bidding process of the 2010 World Cup.

Mbalula said that the amount of money was a fully-approved payment by government to support football among the African diaspora in the Caribbean.