Fifa officials ‘received numerous bribes to vote for Russia and Qatar to host World Cup’
Former Fifa Executive Committee member Jack Warner is alleged to have received $5m in exchange for his support of Russia's 2018 World Cup bid while Nicolas Leoz and Ricardo Teixeira have been accused of receiving bribes in return for their support for Qatar 2022
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Prosecutors revealed new details of alleged bribes paid to Fifa executive committee members to gain their votes for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup and charged a pair of former 21st Century Fox executives with making illegal payments to win broadcast rights for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
An indictment unsealed Monday in US District Court in Brooklyn says Nicolas Leoz, then president of the South American governing body Conmebol, and former Brazil federation president Ricardo Teixeira received bribes to vote for Qatar at the 2010 Fifa executive committee meeting.
Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, president of the North and Central American and Caribbean governing body Concacaf, received $5m in bribes to vote for Russia to host in 2018 from 10 different shell companies that included entities in Anguilla, Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands, the indictment alleged. Guatemala federation president Rafael Salguero was promised a $1m bribe to vote for Russia, according to the indictment.
Leoz, who died last August, avoided extradition, as have Warner and Teixeira. Salguero pleaded guilty in 2018 to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy and one count each of racketeering conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Alejandro Burzaco, former head of the marketing company Torneos y Competencias, testified in 2017 that all three South Americans on the Fifa executive committee took million-dollar bribes to support Qatar, which prevailed over the US 14-8.
Former 21st Century Fox Inc. executives Hernan Lopez and Carlos Martinez were charged Monday with making payments to Conmebol officials to obtain broadcast rights bidding information from a co-conspirator whose identity was not identified in the indictment.
ESPN had US English-language television rights to the World Cup from 1994-2014, but Fox in 2011 gained the rights for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. After the 2022 tournament in Qatar was shifted from summer to late autumn, a time when it is likely to get less attention in the US, FIFA awarded Fox rights for 2026 without competitive bidding.
Also charged in the indictment, handed up by a grand jury on 18 March, are former Imagina Media Audiovisual CEO Gerard Romy, and the Uruguayan sports marketing company Full Play Group SA.
The indictment includes charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The charges against Romy and Full Play also allege racketeering conspiracy.
"The profiteering and bribery in international football have been deep-seated and commonly known practices for decades," William F Sweeney Jr, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York field office, said in a statement. "Over a period of many years, the defendants and their co-conspirators corrupted the governance and business of international football with bribes and kickbacks, and engaged in criminal fraudulent schemes that caused significant harm to the sport of football. Their schemes included the use of shell companies, sham consulting contracts and other concealment methods to disguise the bribes and kickback payments and make them appear legitimate."
Since the first indictments were announced in May 2015, there have been 26 publicly announced guilty pleas, many from former football officials, including Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer.
Conmebol president Juan Angel Napout and Brazil federation president Jose Maria Marin were convicted following trials. Napout is in prison in Florida and Marin was released from a prison last week. Some individuals await sentencing.
Lopez was CEO of Fox International Channels, a 21st Century Fox subsidiary, and Martinez was president of Fox International Channels and an executive of Fox Latin American Channel Inc. They are accused of joining with Full Play to pay millions of dollars in bribes to Conmebol executives in exchange for rights to the Copa Libertadores, South America's annual club championship.
"It's shocking that the government would bring such a thin case," Lopez's lawyer, Matthew D Umhofer, said in an email. "The indictment contains nothing more than single paragraph about Mr Lopez that alleges nothing remotely improper. Mr Lopez can't wait to defend himself at trial."
Steven J McCool, Martinez's attorney, said in an email: "We are certain a jury will swiftly exonerate Carlos, as the charges against him are nothing more than stale fiction."
Carlos Ortiz said Full Play intends to plead not guilty at Thursday's arraignment and his client "looks forward to vigorously defending itself against all of the charges at trial."
Romy's lawyer, Robert J Giuffra Jr, declined comment. Fox Sports did not respond to a request for comment.
Romy is accused with joining his alleged co-conspirators to pay a $3m bribe to Jeffrey Webb, the former president of the North and Central American and Caribbean governing body Concacaf, for media and marketing rights to home World Cup qualifiers in the Caribbean for the 2018 and 2022 cycles. Webb pleaded guilty on 23 November 2015 to several counts and awaits sentencing.
AP