Witness says media giants paid World Cup bribe

NEWYORK » Media giants Globo and Televisa teamed with a marketing firm to make a $15 million bribe to a FIFA executive to help themsecure lucrative broadcasting rights to the World Cup in 2026 and 2030, the marketing company’s former CEO testified Wednesday .

Alejandro Burzaco implicated the two broadcasters in a New York courtroom during the trial of three former South American soccer officials accused of taking bribes in exchange for their help securing broadcasting and hosting rights for tournaments.

Burzaco testified that the deal was struck with longtime FIFA finance committee chairman Julio Grondona at a 2013 meeting in Zurich, Switzerland. FIFA is

global soccer’s governing body.

“Were you and your partners able to get those rights?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel Nitze asked?

“Yes, sir,” Burzaco responded.

In wide-ranging testimony that began Tuesday, Burzaco also has implicated Fox Sports in a separate bribery scheme. Fox and Globo have denied any wrongdoing, while Televisa has denied comment.

None of those media companies are charged in the case.

Jose Maria Marin, Manuel Burga and Juan Angel Nap out have pleaded not guilty to charges they took part in a 2 4year scheme involving at least $150 million in bribes that secured broadcasting and hosting rights for soccer tournaments around the globe.

More than 40 other officials and business executives been charged. Many, including Burzaco, have pleaded guilty in hopes of receiving reduced sentences.

One former Argentine government official killed himself Tuesday just hours after Burzaco testified that he, too, was involved in taking bribes.

Jorge Delhon, a lawyer who worked in the administration of former Argentina President Cristina Fernandez, jumped in front of a train in Buenos Aires. He had not been charged in the case.

Aministry official in Buenos Aires province confirmed the death. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the subject.

“I love you all,” Delhon wrote in a suicide note to his family, the ministry official told The Associated Press. “I can’t believe (what’s happening).”

Burzaco testified that he bribed Delhon and others in exchange for TV production rights In other to soccer testimony matches. Tuesday, Burzaco told the jury how Grondona, who died in 2014, claimed in several conversations that he was owed millions of dollars for his 2010 vote as a member of FIFA’s executive committee that helped Qatar land the World Cup, soccer’s most prestigious tournament. The account appeared to back up persistent suspicions that the Qatar vote was rigged and that the influence of Grondona, the senior vice president at FIFA and head of the Argentinian football association, was for sale. Burzaco also seemed to confirm long-held allegations that FIFA bidding rules were broken by a vote-trading pact between Qatar’s bid for 2022 and the joint Spain-Portugal bid that for Russia 2018 eventually hosting won. rights The three South American voters on FIFA’s executive committee, including Grondona, were drawn into the pact after being told by Spanish officials that “they had made an internal agreement with Qatar authorities to syndicate votes,” Burzaco told the court. After Qatar’s vote victory, beating the United States in a final round ballot, unproven allegations were made that Qatar paid the Grondona-led Argentine soccer federation tens of millions of dollars. Burzaco described an angry behind-the-scenes con- front at ion between Grondona and Qatari soccer official sat a FIFA meeting in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro. In July 2011, Rio hosted the qualifying program draw for the 2014 World Cup hosted by Brazil.

Grondona was upset over reports accusing him of corruption, Burzaco said in court, and confronted Qatari officials at the five-star Copacabana Palace Hotel.

Grondona started “insulting them and complaining,” Burzaco testified. “And basically, Grondona told them, you either pay me $80 million, or you issue me a letter by print or by top authorities saying that you never payme a bribe.”

Later, Grondona was “very angry and anxious,” Burzaco testified, and was complaining he had entered “all these mess and scandal for only” $1.5 million while two others had fooled him and got $75 million. Those two men were FIFA executive committee member Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil and Sandro Rosell, a former Nike executive and then-president of Spanish club Barcelona, the court was told.