Argentine sports executives admit bribing FIFA officials

Argentine sports marketing executives Hugo and Mariano Jinkis have admitted to bribing international soccer officials to secure media rights. The father-and-son duo struck a deal with US prosecutors, agreeing to forfeit $50 million to avoid trial on fraud charges stemming from a sprawling 2015 FIFA corruption scandal.

The Jinkises, co-owners of the Argentine sports marketing company Full Play, devised a scheme to defraud FIFA, CONCACAF, and CONMEBOL. They admitted to paying tens of millions of dollars in commercial bribes to soccer executives. These payments were made in exchange for support in obtaining media and marketing rights for various soccer tournaments.

The US investigation, which began in 2015, rocked the governing body of world football, FIFA, and its continental confederations. The probe led to numerous arrests, trials, and convictions of officials. This deferred prosecution agreement allows the Jinkises to avoid trial, but their admission of guilt and significant financial forfeiture underscore the depth of corruption within the sport's administration.

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agreed to pay and did pay tens of millions of dollars in commercial bribes