The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
New York, United States | AFP | The FIFA scandal, which erupted in May 2015 with the arrest of seven top officials in Zurich, has several judicial tracks.
One in the United States targets former North and South American officials.
Others in France and in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, have gone after former European officials of world football’s governing body.
US prosecutors indicted 42 football and sports marketing executives for allegedly receiving millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.
Of those, 24 pleaded guilty in the United States. Fifteen others are still abroad, where some will be tried, while others fight extradition.
Three former heads of Latin American football federations go on trial Monday.
Here are the major figures in this global scandal:
– On trial –
– Jose Maria Marin –
Of the seven officials arrested in Zurich, the former Brazilian Football Confederation president is the only one to plead not guilty. He was extradited to the US in November 2015.
At 85, he is among the oldest of the accused and faces seven charges for allegedly taking millions of dollars in bribes from sports marketing companies linked to the sale of rights, primarily for the Copa America tournament.
– Juan Angel Napout –
The 59-year-old Paraguayan managed his country’s football federation from 2007 to 2014 before becoming president of CONMEBOL, South American football’s governing body, and a FIFA vice-president from 2014 to 2015.
He was arrested in Zurich on December 3, 2015 and extradited to the US.
Napout faces five charges including corruption and bank fraud for allegedly accepting millions of dollars in bribes in return for selling marketing rights for regional tournaments and World Cup qualifying matches.
Like the two others going on trial, he is free on bail, after putting up $20 million to secure his release. He has been awaiting trial at a luxury apartment in Miami.
– Manuel Burga –
President of the Peruvian football federation from 2002 to 2014 and a member of FIFA’s development committee, Burga, 60, was arrested in Peru in December 2015 and extradited to the US a year later.
He is accused of corruption, fraud and money laundering in connection with bribes allegedly received from a sports marketing official in exchange for television rights to several editions of the Copa America.
