Summary: USA Today provides detail about the 14 individuals associated with FIFA who have been indicted for fraud, corruption, and other charges.
According to USA Today, the Justice Department has stated that nine soccer officials are in a group of 14 individuals involved with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, or FIFA, who have recently been indicted on corruption charges.
According to the Washington Post, the charges stem from decades of corruption involving money laundering, fraud, and bribery associated with how FIFA decides where to host the World Cup and other major soccer events, as well as how media and marketing deals associated with these events are awarded.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said, “These individuals and organizations engaged in bribery to decide who would televise games, where the games would be held, and who would run the organization overseeing organized soccer worldwide,” the New York Times reported.
FIFA’s ethics committee announced that nine soccer executives would be suspended, meaning they would be banned indefinitely from engaging in “any football-related activities on a national and international level.”
Here’s more detail on the 14 individuals.
Jeffrey Webb is the current president of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and is a FIFA vice president/executive committee member. Webb has held his position since 2012, and in 2013, he was appointed by FIFA president Sepp Blatter to lead the organization’s anti-discrimination task force. Last year, Webb sought the publishing of the Garcia Report, which contained allegations of corruption in the bidding process for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
The former governor and first lady of Virginia were found guilty of corruption.
Jack Warner is the former president of CONCACAF (he served from 1990 to 2011) and is also a FIFA vice president/executive committee member. After allegations of corruption and bribery emerged against him, Warner retired in 2011. At that point, FIFA ethics proceedings against him were halted. In a 2013 report, the CONCACAF Integrity Committee accused Warner of committing fraud against CONCACAF and FIFA, and that he also misappropriated funds from FIFA.
Eugenio Figueredo is the former president of Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (The South American Football Confederation, or CONMEBOL), a FIFA vice president and Uruguay federation president. The former soccer player was the president of CONMEBOL from 2013-2014 after service as vice president for two decades. Additionally, he was the head of Uruguay’s soccer federation from 1997-2006.
Nicolas Leoz is also a former president of CONMEBOL and a FIFA executive committee member. Leoz stepped down from FIFA and CONMEBOL in 2013, allegedly due to health and personal issues. However, he resigned after allegations surfaced that he had taken kickbacks in the 1990s and that he demanded knighthood in exchange for his vote for England’s 2018 World Cup.
President Xi has a plan to outpace Chinese corruption.
Eduardo Li serves as the current president of Costa Rica’s soccer federation. He was set to join FIFA’s executive committee this week, and is also a member of the CONCACAF executive committee.
Jose Maria Marin is currently a member of FIFA’s organizing committee for Olympic soccer and is the former president of the Brazilian soccer federation. He was the head of Brazil’s federation from March 2012-April 2015, including while the country hosted the World Cup in 2014. He is on the committee for 2016’s Olympic soccer tournament in Rio.
Julio Rocha is FIFA’s current development officer, and was formerly the president of the Central American Football Union and the Nicaraguan soccer federation.
Rafael Esquivel is the president of the Venezuelan soccer federation president and a current CONMEBOL executive committee member.
In 2012, the son of the king of Spain faced a corruption trial.
Costas Takkas serves as the current attaché to the CONCACAF president.
Aaron Davidson is the chairman of the board for the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the president of Traffic Sports USA. The NASL ha suspended Davidson and all activities between the league and Traffic Sports.
Alejandro Burzaco is the controlling principal of Torneos y Competencia, a sports marketing business based out of Argentina.
Hugo and Mariano Jinkis are the controlling principals of Full Play Group, also a sports marketing company based in Argentina.
Jose Marguiles is an alleged intermediary who facilitated illegal payments. Marguiles was formerly in the broadcasting industry.
Source: USA Today
Photo credit: looptt.com, mashable.com (Lynch)