Football’s governing body FIFA has denied a $US10 million ($A13.15 million) payment from South Africa was a bribe, contradicting a US indictment.

Fourteen people, including football official Jack Warner, were arrested in Zurich charged by the United States with racketeering and bribery in May.

The world body said in a statement that one of the central charges in the alleged $150 million ($A197.19 million) case, a payment by South Africa to the African Diaspora in Caribbean countries of $10 million, was above board.

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“In 2007, as part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the South African government approved a [$10m] project to support the African diaspora in Caribbean countries as part of the World Cup legacy,” FIFA said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The payments totalling [$10m] were authorised by the then chairman of the Finance Committee [Julio Grondona who died in 2014] and executed in accordance with the Organisation Regulations of FIFA.

“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 above project.”

US investigators alleged that the $10 million was a bribe to secure Mr Valcke’s vote in South Africa’s successful push to host the 2010 World Cup.