FIFA defends its general secretary, Jerome Valcke, believed to have paid $10m to Jack Warner

"In 2007, as part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the South African Government approved a USD 10m project to support the African diaspora in Caribbean countries as part of the World Cup legacy. The payments totalling $10m were authorised by the then chairman of the Finance Committee and executed in accordance with the Organisation Regulations of FIFA. Neither the Secretary General Jérôme Valcke nor any other member of FIFA’s senior management were involved in the initiation, approval and implementation of the above project," stated FIFA on 06/02/2015.

"Jérôme Valcke, FIFA General Secretary, transferred $10m in accounts managed by former vice-president of the organization, Jack Warner," reported the New York Times on 01/06/2015, quoting US federal sources.

"This transfer was in 2008, was issued from an account of FIFA and is a central element of the corruption scandal engulfing world football and its leaders," added the US newspaper, citing several US federal officials.

The chairman of the Finance Committee of FIFA mentioned in the press release of the international federation was the…