Confidant X woke up nervous. He left his children at school and went to his local bar for a morning coffee. He meets the same people every day. They are reading AS and talking about him. "I initially felt apprehensive; I managed to relax and got involved in their conversation about Confidant X. If they ever found out that it was me, they would faint in disbelief".
There is no school on Saturday. One less problem for Confidant X. Today he reveals how he shared out bribes amongst members of the South American Football Confederation.
"I was given a million dollars in cash along with a list and quantities. I went to the Yacht & Golf Club hotel in Asunción and, as I was instructed handed out the Money to members of CONMEBOL at the time. I gave Money to Julio Grondona, Esquivel, Osuna, De Luca... I knocked on their hotel room and handed over an envelope that contained a quality of money that had previously prepared with their assigned amount. Some counted the money and others didn’t even bother. They didn’t look at my face. They closed the door and I made my way to the next room, following the order on the list. Not everyone received the same amount. Certain bribes were substantial, others less so".
Confidant X recalls this episode which happened during a CONMEBOL Congress which was held in Paraguay. According to their official website, the aims of the congress are: new enrollments; review, modify and understand the statutes; resolve queries form affiliates; select members for the Executive Committee, FIFA representatives and a President for the Financial Commission". In short, very little.
Being told to act as a delivery man for a million dollars was something that didn’t go down well with Confidant X, who threatened to leave. "It was not a wise move to walk through the streets of Asunción on my own, with no security and with a briefcase full of money. I felt in danger. It was at this point I decided to ask for a transfer. The petition was not well received. My problems started after this request, being followed, pressurized, being watched”. He felt threatened and made a decision to remove himself from the whole thing.
FIFA had suspicions over CONMEBOL’s activity. On April 29, 2013 they published a report which was signed by ethics judge, Joachim Eckert (the same who ended up disputing with Michael García for not publishing the full ‘García Report’), and it states: "There are certain doubts over the money that was originally given to the ISMM/ISL group, and there is a clear belief that considerable amounts of this money have been given to FIFA ex president, Joao Havelange and his son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, along with Dr. Nicolás Leoz, without there being a justification for this action. Payments were also made through fictitious companies to comer the real recipients identity and were classified as ‘commission’, or in day to day language, bribes".
Confidant X affirms that he was afraid, “when he realized that the bribery system was institutionalized and accepted by everyone. For them, for those people, it was normal to get money and to use it to pay the bribes. The system was to withdraw money from CONMEBOL account number1280/7, and to distribute it to the names on the list. No one signed a receipt. You can’t really sign a receipt for a bribe!”
Confidant X confesses that there were times when “I thought of taking the money, heading to the airport. But I’m not like them”. He fulfilled his role with professionalism and accuracy.
Nicolás Leoz is still under house arrest at his house in Luque, Asunción (Paraguay). The police presence at his home intensified yesterday. The Paraguayan government have begun a extradition procedure that would see the ex FIFA number two taken to the USA at the request of the IRS. Confidant X is anxious to remain anonymous. "I’m afraid to say anything, not necessarily to say what I know but the fear of what may happen to me afterwards. An American judge may let me off but I’m ultimately the one who has to deal with the fear factor".