The gloves have come off in the African bid to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
Earlier this month Egypt tried to have the South African bid red-carded by fabricating a slanderous statement by Speaker Frene Ginwala.
The Egyptian minister responsible for this furiously rowed back from his allegations, but the damage has been done.
Ginwala was in Cairo in earlier this month, attending a meeting of African parliamentary speakers. She spearheads the bid by Southern African nations to get the Pan African Parliament (PAP) located in South Africa.
Egypt has launched a belated rival bid to become the seat of that institution, which is due to have its first meeting in Addis Ababa in March. The establishment of the continental Assembly follows the ratification of the measure by a majority of the 53 African Union members last October.
By mounting a joint bid with Tunisia to host the World Cup, Egypt has become a double rival with South Africa.
Egyptian Minister of Youth Ali Eddin Helal issued a statement condemning remarks purportedly made by Ginwala at the meeting of African parliamentarians.
“In her speech she literally stated that choosing the African Parliament is not like Fifa, which can be bought by money, meaning that the African Parliament’s elections are incorrupt and without bribery, which is not the case in voting for the 2010 World Cup host,” said the minister.
His statement in Arabic was reported by Al-Ahram, Egypt’s most influential newspaper.
Helal said Ginwala had pointed an accusing finger at all 24 Fifa executive members. The Egyptian minister urged Fifa to comment on Ginwala’s “hideous accusation” made before African MPs.
“Fifa should not be slack in dealing with such an accusation as it could lose its credibility if repeated,” he said.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Youth and Sport, Kapori Emil, told Al-Ahram he was with Helal when they heard Ginwala’s remarks.
“This accusation might be the beginning of the end of South Africa in this competition as it may denote that voting in the International Federation is not objective but subject to bargaining with money.
“It is as if South Africa is absolutely confident that it will host the World Cup because it bought the votes of members,” Emil told Al-Ahram.
Egypt’s Director of Sports, Talaat Genidi, called for an investigation into Ginwala’s remarks. He told the newspaper that “the fact that she is nominated to elections in the African Parliament doesn’t give her the right to repeat such inappropriate words”.
Ghulam Asmal, the South African charge d’affaires in Cairo, said Helal’s office had telephoned the embassy to deny the statement attributed to him and promised the minister would personally telephone to confirm this denial. He has not yet done so.
Helal did, however, issue a statement to Al-Ahram denying remarks attributed to him. The minister said he “does not accept that competition between the two countries over the hosting of the World Cup should in any way negatively affect relations between the people of South Africa and Egypt”.
Ginwala told the Mail & Guardian this week that, on arrival in Egypt, she had picked up “a lot of talk that South Africa had withdrawn its request to host the PAP.
“There were also rumours about some deal being done that would make Egypt the seat. In my speech to the meeting of African speakers I made it clear that was certainly not the case.
“The request for the PAP to be housed in South Africa, in fact, comes from the Southern African Development Community and South Africa is certainly not party to any deal.
“I appealed to delegates to choose the PAP officers and to leave it to the heads of state to decide on the seat. I made no mention at all in my statement of Fifa or indeed of football.
“I was very concerned, therefore, about the report in Al-Ahram, even though the minister has since denied making those remarks.
“Because I was concerned that this might impact on South Africa’s bid to host the World Cup, I drew the matter to the attention of Irvin Khoza, the vice-president of the South African Football Association with the hope he would take the matter up with Fifa.”