Swiss police raid UeFA base over contracts

NYON: Swiss police searched UEFA headquarters as part of a “criminal mismanagement” probe into a Champions League television rights deal signed by Gianni Infantino (pic) before he became FIFA’s president.

The deal, made when Infantino was the European football body’s legal chief, was revealed this week in the Panama Papers leaks.

The Swiss Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) implied however that it had been investigating before the leaks came out.

The Panama Papers caused a second shock when Uruguayan Juan Pedro Damiani resigned as an ethics judge for world football body FIFA after he was also named in the leaks.

UEFA made the television rights accord with two Argentine businessmen who have since been charged in the United States over the corruption scandal that has engulfed world football. Infantino has strongly denied any wrongdoing.

“The search was motivated by the suspicion of criminal mismanagement” and “misappropriation”, said a Swiss OAG statement explaining Wednesday’s raid.

UEFA confirmed that they “received a visit” by Swiss Federal Police acting with a warrant.

UEFA added that police had requested access to “contracts between UEFA and Cross Trading (and) Teleamazonas”, two companies involved in the sale of broadcast rights in Ecuador for the 2006 to 2009 Champions League.

Infantino was head of UEFA’s legal department when the contract was signed. He later became UEFA secretary-general and in February was elected head of FIFA, who face their own corruption scandal.

UEFA said they were providing “all relevant documents in our possession and will cooperate fully”.

UEFA’s marketing partner, Team Marketing, sold the rights to Cross Trading, a firm owned by Argentine father and son duo Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, who are now among the 39 football officials and executives facing corruption charges in the US. — AFP