By Jonathan Copping, Lawyer, Stone King, London, UK US prosecutors investigating corruption involving FIFA executives and the awards of the FIFA World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively, have charged a number of former FIFA executives, as well as three media executives and a sports marketing company, with a number of crimes, including wire fraud and money laundering, in connection with bribes to secure television and marketing rights for international soccer tournaments. The proceedings, which were filed on 18 March 2020 in the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York, contain numerous allegations, including:
The new indictment lodged by US prosecutors runs to 70 pages and it is the first time such detail of the corruption involving FIFA executives has been published. The US prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of any “property, real or personal, that constitutes or is derived from proceeds obtained directly or indirectly from the commission of such offense, or that is used to facilitate or intended to be used to facilitate the commission of such offense.” Whilst FIFA has tried to move on from this corruption scandal, the new indictment will put FIFA back into the spotlight and potentially put pressure on the world governing body of football to reopen an inquiry into how votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were won. The integrity of the ‘beautiful game’ demands nothing less than such openness and transparency! Jonathan Copping may be contacted by e-mail at ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.’
Sports Law & Taxation features: articles; comparative surveys; commentaries on topical sports legal and tax issues and documentation.
The unique feature of Sports Law & Taxation is that this Journal combines up-to-date valuable and must-have information on the legal and tax aspects of sport and their interrelationships.
Global Sports Law and Taxation Reports feature: articles; comparative surveys; commentaries on topical sports legal and tax issues and documentation.
The unique feature of Global Sports Law and Taxation Reports is that this Journal combines for the first time up to-date valuable and must-have information on the legal and tax aspects of sport and their interrelationships.
The editors of the Journal Sports Law & Taxation are Professor Ian Blackshaw and Dr Rijkele Betten, with specialist contributions from the world's leading practitioners and academics in the sports law and taxation fields.
Managing editor
Dr. Rijkele Betten
Consulting editor
Prof. Dr. Ian S. Blackshaw
Prof. Guglielmo Maisto
Maisto e Associati, Milano
Mr. Kevin Offer
Hardwick & Morris LLP, London
Nolot BV
St. Jorisstraat 11
5211 HA 's-Hertogenosch
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.