Trouble for FIFA. Wednesday morning, a 47-count indictment was announced for Nine FIFA officials and five sports marketing executives. The charges include racketeering, conspiracy and corruption linked to the World Cup’s selection process and other international soccer tournaments.
The Department of Justice believes this was a 24-year scheme, that also involved U.S. and South American sports marketing executives, who allegedly paid more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks for media and marketing rights.
FIFA’s Director of Communications Walter Gregorio said at a Wednesday news conference that he did not have confirmation on the information provided by the DOJ regarding the probe. He also said the 2018 and 2022 World Cups would still be played in Russia and Qatar, respectively.
Obviously this is a huge international sports story. As more details develop, we’ll keep you updated.
