Witness describes million- dollar scam

We are all aware of the importance of Friday’s match. The league doesn’t end after Friday, but a defeat would be difficult to digest. We want to leave San Paolo without conceding goal. — Giorgio Chiellini Juventus’ defender ahead of their match against Napoli

New York: An Argentinian accountant described how he handled the payment of millions of dollars in bribes to former South American soccer officials, including former Fifa vice president Julio Grondona, by using wire transfers, offshore accounts and money couriers. Eladio Rodriguez, who kept track of finances and bribe payments at the Argentinian sports marketing company Torneos and Competencias, testified for hours in New York in the federal corruption trial of the former soccer heads of Paraguay, Peru and Brazil. The company, along with two others, made the payments to obtain the rights to broadcast tournaments and matches. Rodriguez said it was necessary to pay bribes “to maintain a good relationship with Conmebol ( South America’s soccer governing body) and to obtain the signing of contracts.” He said he kept track of the payments by occasionally emailing himself copies of ledgers. The cash payments to Gondrona were made after Torneos deposited money into overseas accounts of exchange remittance businesses. Money couriers would then take the money to Torneos in Buenos Aires and Grondona’s chauffeur normally would pick it up, Rodriguez said. Juan Angel Napout, the expresident of Paraguay’s soccer federation, Jose Maria Marin, the former president of Brazil’s soccer federation and Manuel Burga, the ex- head of Peru’s soccer federation, are on trial for racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies.