FIFA was plunged into fresh turmoil today after an explosive letter appeared to contradict its claims that Sepp Blatter's right-hand man was not involved in the payment of an alleged $10million bribe.
The payment is at the heart of an FBI probe which claims the money was given to disgraced former vice-president Jack Warner and his deputy Chuck Blazer in return for them voting for the 2010 World Cup to be played in South Africa.
Secretary general Jerome Valcke was last night suspected of signing off the payment, but FIFA issued a statement this morning robustly denying he had any involvement.
They insisted it was instead authorised by Julio Grondona, the former finance chief and Blatter's long-time ally who died last year.
However, just an hour later, a letter from the South African Football Association emerged that appeared to blow apart those claims.
The letter, from South African FA president Molefi Oliphant, was addressed to Valcke and asked for the payment to be withheld from World Cup funds and paid instead to Warner to support football in the Caribbean.
It contains detailed instructions for the payment.
The letter, dated March 4, 2008, states:
'Dear Mr Valcke
'In view of the decision by the South African government that an amount of USD 10million from the organising committee's future operational budget funding and thereafter advances the amount to the Diaspora Legacy Programme.
In addition, SAFA requests that the Diaspora Legacy Programme be administered and implemented directly by the President of CONCACAF who shall act as a fiduciary of the Fund.
'SAFA therefore confirms that:
'1. FIFA shall withhold USD 10million from the organising committee's future operational budget funding in order to finance the Diaspora Legacy Programme, thereby reducing the organising committee's overall budget from USD 423million to USD 413 million.
'2. The Diaspora Legacy Programme shall be administered and implemented directly by the President of CONCACAF who shall act as a fiduciary of the Diaspora Legacy Programme Fund of USD 10million.
'Yours faithfully, Dr M Oliphant.'
The payment is at the heart of the FIFA bribery scandal – a US justice department indictment of 18 people on corruption charges says the money was paid to Warner and his deputy Chuck Blazer in return for them voting for the 2010 World Cup to be played in South Africa.
According to the US indictment, the money was siphoned off into Warner's personal accounts and he paid $750,000 of a promised $1million to Blazer.
FIFA insisted Valcke nor any other senior management figure was involved.
A previous FIFA statement said: 'The payments totalling USD 10million were authorised by the then chairman of the Finance Committee and executed in accordance with the organisation regulations of FIFA.
'FIFA did not incur any costs as a result of South Africa's request because the funds belonged to the LOC.
'Both the LOC and SAFA adhered to the necessary formalities for the budgetary amendment.'
The FIFA statement follows a New York Times report that American law enforcement officials believe Valcke transferred the money in 2008 to accounts controlled by Warner.
FIFA reacted to the letter insisting the finance committee made the final approval, not Valcke.
A FIFA spokesperson said via email: 'The letter is consistent to our statement where we underlined that the FIFA Finance Committee made the final approval.
'In general, the FIFA Secretary General is the recipient of all letters and requests to the administration and acts in accordance with FIFA's regulations.
'We would like to reiterate that neither the Secretary General Jerome Valcke nor any other member of FIFA's senior management were involved in the initiation, approval and implementation of the Diaspora project.'
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki has denied his government paid bribes to secure the World Cup.
The allegation threatens to tarnish a 2010 World Cup which Blatter has claimed as a defining achievement of his 17-year reign.
The 79-year-old Blatter, who won re-election Friday for a fifth term despite the scandal, denied being the unidentified high-ranking official named in the indictment as having 'caused' the payment.
'Definitely that is not me,' Blatter said at a news conference on Saturday.
Warner, a former FIFA vice president, is among 14 FIFA officials and corporate executives charged by the U.S. Department of Justice last Wednesday with running a criminal enterprise that involved more than $150 million in bribes.
Warner left jail in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday after he was granted bail and immediately turned on Blatter.
'Why are there no investigations in Asia, or in Europe?' Warner asked German magazine Stern in an interview released on Monday.
'Why are there no investigations into Sepp Blatter? No other person has brought so much shame and disgrace on FIFA.'
A court transcript released on Monday said that Warner's son, Daryan Warner, secretly agreed in 2013 to co-operate with U.S. authorities and to admit to participating in a World Cup ticket-reselling scheme.
Following Blatter's re-election as FIFA president, the English Football Association's chairman Greg Dyke said his organization would support any boycott led by UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations.
English Football Association board member Heather Rabbatts said she was withdrawing from FIFA's task force against racism and discrimination with immediate effect.
But Germany today said it does not want a boycott of World Cup tournaments.
President of the German Football Association, Wolfgang Niersbach, said: 'We don't want to go down that route of a boycott – that won't accomplish anything.
'We don't want to get into a situation like with boxing where there are several parallel associations. That doesn't work.'
The fallout also continued this week for the South American regional body, known as CONMEBOL, and the North American region, known as CONCACAF.
The scandal threatens the marquee Centennial Copa America tournament, due to be played in the United States next June.
The indictment detailed a $110 million bribe scheme for the event and named officials from three marketing firms which own the broadcasting rights.
Nicolas Leoz, an 86-year-old former CONMEBOL president and long-time FIFA executive committee member, was ordered under house arrest in Paraguay.
The foreign ministry confirmed a request from the United States Embassy for Leoz's arrest and to seek his extradition.
The seven men detained in Zurich are fighting extradition.
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