No-vote Dempsey tells why

By TERRY MADDAFORD and WARREN GAMBLE

A defiant Charlie Dempsey - the New Zealander whose non-vote cost South Africa soccer's World Cup and $5.2 billion - last night claimed that an unnamed country had tried to bribe him.

Dempsey's decision not to take part in the third and final ballot by the world soccer body, Fifa, on the 2006 venue gave the tournament to Germany 12 votes to 11.

Speaking to the Weekend Herald from Singapore where he practised golf while the soccer world fumed, the 79-year-old alleged that he had been offered a bribe to vote one way the night before yesterday's vote.

"On the last evening [before the vote] my life became unbearable," he said. "My night's sleep was interrupted by five phone calls.

"I got an envelope under my door which offered gifts if I voted for a certain country which I won't name. They also gave me a phone number to call. As far as I know I was the only one to receive such an offer.

"I did not make any calls as I feared my phone might have been bugged and people could have made assumptions. I was scared standing there at five o'clock in the morning with this thing [the envelope] in my hand."

However, the New Zealander still faces a world of questions after later reports dismissed the alleged bribe as an obvious hoax. Similar bribe offers sent to other Fifa delegates purported to come from the secretary of the German bid.

But one journalist who saw the offer said it was full of typographical and grammatical errors, and would fool no one.

Late last night Fifa announced that it would conduct an internal inquiry into the vote.

Dempsey, president of the Oceania Football Confederation, said he told Fifa about the envelope and then told the other delegates he would vote for England in the first two rounds - after which England was eliminated - and then abstain.

"I was under tremendous pressure," he said. "I never thought the World Cup was so important to so many people. The pressure I was under was unsustainable. It was like a Hollywood production. I made a decision I think was right."

But the veteran administrator, with trademark spectacles and broad Scottish accent, was vilified in South Africa and condemned at home.

Prime Minister Helen Clark, who had assured South African President Thabo Mbeki of New Zealand's support, said she was extremely disappointed with Dempsey.

Sports Minister Trevor Mallard said he was shocked and embarrassed that Dempsey had disregarded the instructions of the Oceania confederation to vote for South Africa if the English bid was eliminated.

"Through his abandonment of his delegation, Mr Dempsey has damaged the international reputation of the entire country as well as the sport of soccer in New Zealand."

A member of the South African bid team, Irvin Khoza, said: "Dempsey has betrayed the South African people. I do not see how a man can vote in the first two rounds and then not vote in the third and final round. Fifa should investigate this."

In Pretoria, South African fans protested outside the New Zealand mission. And in Wellington, the honorary South African consul, Gregory Fortuin, said: "If there was ever an example of underarm bowling, this is it."

The bid, had it been successful, would have been worth an estimated $5.2 billion to South Africa's hard-pressed economy and created tens of thousands of jobs.

South African newspapers painted Dempsey as an arch-villain on their front pages yesterday. Several featured photographs of people weeping in the streets.

The Johannesburg Star labelled the New Zealander "South Africa's betrayer." The Afrikaans daily Beelt headed a front-page photo of Dempsey: "Damn it Dempsey."

Dempsey's fateful day began with 5 am calls from the South African and German bid teams, as well as Fifa's president, Sepp Blatter.

Blatter favoured the South African bid, and if Dempsey had voted for them, he would have used his casting vote to give the tournament to Africa for the first time.

Next Dempsey had a 6.30 am call from former South African President Nelson Mandela, who pleaded with him to switch to the rainbow nation once England was eliminated.

But before the voting began, Dempsey read out a letter, drafted by an Auckland lawyer, saying he had been falsely accused of taking bribes. As a result, he would withdraw from the voting process once England were out.

After his historic abstention, he went straight to Zurich airport and flew to Singapore as the results were announced.

New Zealand Soccer chief executive Bill MacGowan acknowledged that the decision would put Oceania's bid for a direct entry to future World Cups - at present they must play off against other zones - under threat.

It would also threaten Auckland's Football Kingz' bid to extend their initial two-year licence in the Australian national league, and jeopardise plans for a tri-nations soccer tournament involving NZ, Australia and South Africa after the Olympics.