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Asians come into focus as South Africans appeal against FIFA 2006 world cup bid award

By Paul Martin Cainer-- Live Africa Network news editor-in-chief and rediff.com's Southern Africa correspondent.

South Africa’s football chiefs are taking football’s world governing body FIFA to arbitration for handing the 2006 World Cup venue to Europe rather than Africa.

The action is to be formally presented to FIFA before or during its executive meeting next week. That’s just before it holds a Congress at which Africa’s delegates in particular are expected to launch strong attacks on FIFA.

South Africa’s soccer chiefs had three choices: accept the decision, launch a law-suit in Switzerland against FIFA, or challenge FIFA through international arbitration. After trips to Europe and Africa, the South African soccer bosses have chosen to go for arbitration – a move that will deeply upset FIFA’s executive and European soccer bosses in particular.

The problem for South Africa has been a clause in FIFA’s constitution that prevents any national soccer body from taking FIFA to court unless all internal avenues have been exhausted. But South African soccer has now made it clear it is taking these steps – and that if arbitration fails, further steps could still follow. The decision was publicly announced in a news conference in Johannesburg.

South Africa has given FIFA eight days to set in motion the process of arbitration over whether the German win was legitimate – or face unspecified new measures.

A letter demanding arbitration has now reached FIFA headquarters in Zurich. Live Africa Network News was the first to report that SAFA had chosen to make a formal appeal.

The South African documents include clear written evidence that Oceania’s Football Federation did instruct Charles Dempsey to vote for South Africa in the final round as the 24 FIFA executive members made their decision this month.

It’s contained in minutes taken at an Oceania meeting not long before Dempsey flew to Zurich. Dempsey’s claimed he had no clear instructions. Another key document in South Africa’s favour is a letter submitted by Dempsey to the executive on the day of the vote. He said he was unable to vote: and South Africa will argue that FIFA President Sepp Blatter of Switzerland should have then stopped the proceedings and asked Oceania’s executive to appoint a new delegate – or give Dempsey clear orders.

South Africa is also gathering evidence to indicate that Germany used its financial muscle to entice all four Asian delegates (form Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and South Korea) to vote for Germany. That vote came despite strong Third World ties between Asian countries and the newly democratic Republic. Live Africa has learned that Saudi Arabia wrote an unsolicited letter pledging support for South Africa -- only later to vote the other way.

A Saudi leader -- Live Africa was told -- phoned ex-President Nelson Mandela the day after the vote. Mandela was so furious, the informant stated, that the most respected statesman in the world refused to take the call.