FIFA and the American football associations have been awarded some $92 million by the U.S. Department of Justice for losses they have suffered from decades of corruption.
The funds come from convicted former directors and companies, which, in addition to FIFA, have also extorted significant sums from the South American Federation (Conmebol) and the Central and North America Federation (Concacaf) over the years by offering bribes pay and commit other crimes.
More than 50 individual from more than 20 countries have been convicted of causing haram, notably through tournament media rights tampering.
In August, the U.S. Department of Justice already transferred $ 201 million to the FIFA Foundation. 32.2 million of that went to a new social fund managed by FIFA.
In 2015, US authorities launched a slew of investigations into charges against 14 FIFA executives, forcing then-Fifa president Sepp Blatter to resign. Since then, the former president of Conmebol, Juan Angel Napout from Paraguay, and the head of the Brazilian Football Federation, Jose Maria Marin, have also been convicted.
“From the beginning of the FIFA investigation and prosecutions, one of the department’s primary goals has been to make the victims whole,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said.
“The department has used every tool at its disposal to make this a reality, while depriving the perpetrators of the proceeds of their crimes. This distribution of approximately $92 million as compensation for losses suffered highlights the importance of asset forfeiture as a critical tool in this endeavor.” he added.
The Justice Department works carefully to return illegal cash to crime victims through the Asset Forfeiture Program.
“Today’s distribution of more than $80 million underscores our commitment to returning money obtained through the corruption and fraud prosecuted in this case to the victims of that corruption, where it will be used to benefit the sport,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said.
