Former Fox executives indicted in Fifa bribery scheme – By Oliver Laughland (The Guardian) / April 6 2020
Multimillion dollar scheme involved kickbacks to Fifa officials for broadcast rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup
Two former senior executives at Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox corporation have been indicted over their alleged role in a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving kickbacks to Fifa officials in exchange for broadcast and marketing rights to some of the world’s biggest football tournaments.
The US Department of Justice announced on Monday that Hernan Lopez, the former chief executive of Fox International Channels and Carlos Martinez, the former president of Fox Latin America, have been charged with wire fraud and money laundering offenses, marking another series of indictments in the US government’s sprawling investigation of corruption in world football.
The indictment alleges that Lopez and Martinez “relied on loyalty secured through the payment of bribes” to South American football officials in order to “advance the business interest of Fox” and obtain “confidential bidding information” to win US broadcast rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.
21st Century Fox declined to comment on the indictments. The company was sold by Murdoch to Disney for $71bn in March 2019, years after the alleged bribery scheme is alleged to have occurred.
The pair of former executives are also accused of involvement in the payment of annual bribes to South American football federation [Conmebol] officials to secure broadcast rights to the Copa Libertadores, South America’s biggest club competition.
Continue to article: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/06/fox-executives-fifa-bribery-scheme-football
