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The US Department of Justice has awarded $ 201 million to FIFA, the governing body of international football; CONCACAF, the confederation overseeing football in North and Central America with the countries of the Caribbean; CONMEBOL, the ruling confederation in South America, and other relevant entities.
The DOJ determined that the organizations had been the victims of decades-long corruption programs that corrupted football and delayed the development of the game.
“I am delighted to see that the money that has been illegally diverted from football is now coming back for its own purposes, as it should have been in the first place,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “The truth is that, thanks to the intervention (of the United States Department of Justice) in 2015, we were able to fundamentally change FIFA from a toxic organization at the time, into a highly global sports governing body. esteemed and trustworthy. “
The investigation resulted in charges against more than 50 individuals and companies from more than 20 countries, the DOJ said. The charges are “primarily related to the offering and receipt of bribes paid by sports marketing companies to football officials in return for media and marketing rights to various football tournaments and events,” the statement said. of the DOJ.
An indictment was initially unsealed in May 2015, according to the DOJ statement, which charged 14 FIFA officials and sports marketing officials with racketeering, honest service wire fraud and money laundering offenses. , among others. 16 other FIFA officials were charged with similar crimes after an indictment was unsealed in December 2015, the DOJ said.
“Four legal persons have pleaded guilty and others, including banking institutions, have acknowledged their role in criminal conduct through deferred prosecution or non-prosecution agreements,” the Justice Department statement said. , adding that the investigation is still ongoing.
FIFA, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL will distribute the funds from the $ 201 million award into a new World Football Awards Fund, which will be established under the FIFA Foundation “which focuses on youth programs, the community awareness and humanitarian needs, ”the DOJ said.
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