FIFA scandals

 US says FIFA officials were bribed to award World Cup to Russia and Qatar.

For nearly a decade, Russia and Qatar have been suspected of buying votes to win the hosting rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. I put it in.

After years of investigations and indictments, the United States Department of Justice on Monday said for the first time that representatives working for Russia and Qatar had bribed FIFA officials to secure hosting rights for the World Cup in men's soccer.

Prosecutors made the accusations in an indictment charging 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 accusations were the latest in a years long corruption case that has already produced convictions of numerous soccer officials and executives as well as depositions from former leaders of FIFA, world soccer's governing body. Never before, though, have prosecutors so clearly described the scheme that helped deliver the votes that gave Russia and Qatar hosting rights for one of the world's biggest sporting events.

The U.S. prosecutors on Monday explicitly revealed details about money paid to five members of FIFA's top board ahead of the 2010 vote to choose Russia and Qatar as hosts. Russia defeated England while the Netherlands and Belgium, Spain and Portugal made joint bids to host the 2018 men's tournament. A desert country, it defeated the United States in the run-off vote by one group. Of voters who were already circumcised, as two members were secretly filmed agreeing to sell their votes.  FIFA chose Qatar to host 2022 in 2010, citing 'deep-rooted' corruption in the US, including $150 million in bribes paid to secure the World Cup marketing deal for a 24-year period and its executive members surprised the football world. An FBI raid and arrest nearly collapsed the Football Association and forced longtime president Sepp Blatter to step down. Then, in 2020, the Justice Department announced that a handful of FIFA voting executives paid millions of dollars in bribes to secure Russia and Qatar the right to host the 2018 World Cup four years later. said to have received.