Havelange, Teixeira took ISL kickbacks
Source: Agencies |
July 13, 2012, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER FIFA president Joao Havelange and one-time Brazilian soccer boss Ricardo Teixeira received millions of dollars in a World Cup kickbacks scandal, soccer's world governing body confirmed on Wednesday.
FIFA finally published a Swiss court dossier which detailed that Teixeira received US$13 million from 1992-97 in payments from World Cup marketing partner ISL. The Swiss-based agency's collapse into bankruptcy in 2001 sparked a criminal probe and exposed the routine practice of buying influence from top sports officials. The 41-page document showed Havelange received a payment of about US$1 million in 1997, one year before he was succeeded as FIFA president by Sepp Blatter.
Payments "attributed" to accounts connected to the two Brazilians totaled almost US$22 million from 1992-2000.
The scale of kickbacks tied to World Cup broadcasting and marketing deals was revealed in a report by a prosecutor in the Swiss canton (state) of Zug who investigated Havelange and Teixeira for "embezzlement, or alternatively disloyal management."
The document had been blocked from publication since June 2010, soon after prosecutors, FIFA and two of the most powerful men in world soccer reached a settlement to close the criminal investigation.
FIFA, Havelange and Teixeira repaid US$6.1 million to end prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand's probe on condition that their identities remain secret. Teixeira, who repaid US$2.5 million, denied criminal conduct. Havelange, who paid US$500,000, "did not comment on the accusation of criminal conduct," the report said.
FIFA released the document hours after Switzerland's Supreme Court threw out an appeal by Havelange and Teixeira to suppress the dossier.
FIFA finally published a Swiss court dossier which detailed that Teixeira received US$13 million from 1992-97 in payments from World Cup marketing partner ISL. The Swiss-based agency's collapse into bankruptcy in 2001 sparked a criminal probe and exposed the routine practice of buying influence from top sports officials. The 41-page document showed Havelange received a payment of about US$1 million in 1997, one year before he was succeeded as FIFA president by Sepp Blatter.
Payments "attributed" to accounts connected to the two Brazilians totaled almost US$22 million from 1992-2000.
The scale of kickbacks tied to World Cup broadcasting and marketing deals was revealed in a report by a prosecutor in the Swiss canton (state) of Zug who investigated Havelange and Teixeira for "embezzlement, or alternatively disloyal management."
The document had been blocked from publication since June 2010, soon after prosecutors, FIFA and two of the most powerful men in world soccer reached a settlement to close the criminal investigation.
FIFA, Havelange and Teixeira repaid US$6.1 million to end prosecutor Thomas Hildbrand's probe on condition that their identities remain secret. Teixeira, who repaid US$2.5 million, denied criminal conduct. Havelange, who paid US$500,000, "did not comment on the accusation of criminal conduct," the report said.
FIFA released the document hours after Switzerland's Supreme Court threw out an appeal by Havelange and Teixeira to suppress the dossier.
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