Judge Ends Major Soccer Corruption Case
Two defendants who were convicted of bribing FIFA officials had their cases dismissed by the government.
A federal judge ended charges against two people in a major soccer corruption case on Wednesday. The case was about bribes paid to FIFA officials, the group that runs world soccer. The government asked the judge to drop the charges, saying it was the right thing to do. This case has been going on for many years and shocked the soccer world.
The two defendants were Hernán López and a company called Full Play Group. López used to work for Fox Sports in Latin America. Full Play Group is a sports marketing company from Argentina. A jury found them guilty in 2023 of paying bribes to soccer officials.
The case accused López and Full Play of paying bribes for tournament rights. These included popular soccer competitions like Copa América and Copa Libertadores. Prosecutors also said López's actions helped Fox win rights to broadcast the World Cup. Fox got rights for the 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cups in the United States.
However, this doesn't end the entire FIFA corruption investigation. Four other people who were convicted want their cases dropped too. They argue that if the government dropped these two cases, their crimes weren't real either. If those convictions get reversed, many more defendants might ask for the same thing.
Six years later, a case that should have never started is finally over.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. When did Judge Pamela K. Chen dismiss the indictments?
2. How many convictions has the FIFA investigation produced?
3. In what year were López and Full Play Group convicted by a jury?