Curious case of Del Nero
If Brazil end their Olympic blank in Rio, it’s highly likely that taking as much credit as anyone will be Brazil federation president Marco Polo Del Nero. The fact that he is wanted in the United States will be neither here nor there.
Del Nero is among the 40-plus individuals and corporations indicted by the US Justice Department over the $200million FIFAGate money-laundering and fraud conspiracy case. However, as long as he remains in Brazil, he is beyond the hand of US law as no Brazilian citizen, under a clause in the constitution, can be extradited for trial.
Every now and again, parliamentary inquiries into corruption within the CBF are organised. But as Ricardo Teixeira escaped scrutiny on several occasions, there is no reason to believe Del Nero will be brought down. Indeed, having quit as a FIFA and CONMEBOL ExCo member – because he could not leave Brazil – Del Nero stepped down twice as CBF president before resuming the role this past spring as if nothing had happened.
FIFA, while happy to send a “normalisation committee” to sort out the AFA chaos in neighbouring Argentina, has nothing to say about Del Nero.
Who knows, he might even welcome his Olympic guests with a bagful of expensive luxury watches just to show there are no hard feelings...