international chain Fox Sport obtained the rights to broadcast the World Cup Russia 2018 Y Qatar 2022 for the United States thanks to the fundamental intervention of the then president of the Argentine Football Federation, Giulio Grondonasaid a witness in the trial of two former Fox executives.
The Argentine Alexander Burzaco he is a key witness for the New York prosecution in the trial of his compatriot Hernan López and the Mexican Carlos Martinezboth former top executives of Fox and the Argentine marketing firm full playaccused of corruption, bank fraud and money laundering, discovered in the mega-scandal that rocked FIFA in 2015.
Burzaco revealed that López, then head of Fox International Channels, asked him to intercede with Grondona, the omnipotent man of Argentine football and influential FIFA vice-president at the time and head of the finance committee of the institution that governs world football, in in favor of Fox’s offer to acquire the television rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for the United States.
Grondona, informed Burzaco that if “Fox has offered $400 million.” the contract would have been for them, as the witness told Hernán López.
Fox Sports managed to secure the lucrative television rights for that sum, in a meeting held on October 21, 2011, for the two World Cup events “to great disappointment” of the chain ESPNwhich since 1982 has been broadcasting all the World Cups of the North American country.
Upon his return to Buenos Aires, Grondona said to Burzaco: “Look Alejandro, I did you and Fox this favor but this is the last time I do it for free. From now on they will have to pay a 10% commission”assured the witness in the courtroom.
For the Latin market, Telemundo won the contract with an offer of about 600 million dollarsahead of Univision Communications Inc., which had broadcast every World Cup since 1978.
During four days of interrogation -it will continue on Monday-, Burzaco, a repentant witness who pleaded guilty to corruption in 2015 and reached an agreement with the New York prosecutor’s office with which he now collaborates in exchange for paying a fine, broke the system of corruption and illegal commissions erected in South American football to obtain the rights to broadcast and organize sporting events.
He assured that the T&T Cayman company (owned 25% by Torneos, which he chairs, and 75% by Fox Panamerican Sports) had paid between 30 and 32 million dollars in bribes through 2015 to successive Conmebol executives, including Grondona himself. guarantee the television rights of matches in regional tournaments, such as the Copa Libertadores and the Copa América.
“The only ones who didn’t receive bribes were Chilean Harold Maynes Nicholls and Uruguayan Sebastián Bauzá,” Burzaco said.
Source: AFP
Source: Clarin
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