Panama Papers

== International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) investigation ==
On May 27, 2015, the US Department of Justice indicted a number of companies and individuals for [[conspiracy]], [[corruption]] and [[racketeering]] in connection with bribes and [[Kickback (bribery)|kickbacks]] paid to obtain media and marketing rights for [[FIFA]] tournaments. Some immediately entered guilty pleas.<ref name=indictFIFA>{{cite web |url = https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nine-fifa-officials-and-five-corporate-executives-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and |title=Nine FIFA Officials and Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption |date=May 27, 2015 |access-date=April 19, 2016 |publisher=United States Department of Justice |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160417221705/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/nine-fifa-officials-and-five-corporate-executives-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and |archive-date=April 17, 2016 }} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Among those indicted were [[Jeffrey Webb (football executive)|Jeffrey Webb]] and [[Jack Warner (football executive)|Jack Warner]], the current and former presidents of [[CONCACAF]], the continental confederation under FIFA headquartered in the United States. They were charged with racketeering and [[bribery]] offenses. Others were US and South American sports marketing executives who paid and agreed to pay well over $150 million in bribes and kickbacks.<ref name=indictFIFA/>

On December 12, 2014, [[José Hawilla]], the owner and founder of the [[Traffic Group]], the Brazilian sports marketing conglomerate, waived indictment and pleaded guilty to a four-count information charging him with racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and obstruction of justice. Hawilla also agreed to forfeit over $151 million, $25 million of which was paid at the time of his plea.<ref name=indictFIFA/>

Torneos & Traffic (T&T) is a subsidiary of Fox International Channels since 2005<ref name=conmebol>{{cite web |url = http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/notas/conmebol-renovo-con-mismos-duenos-de-investigada-tt-1469576.html |title=Conmebol renovó con mismos dueños de investigada T&T |author=ABC Color |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160414010910/http://www.abc.com.py/edicion-impresa/notas/conmebol-renovo-con-mismos-duenos-de-investigada-tt-1469576.html |archive-date=April 14, 2016 }}</ref> (with investments since 2002) and is the same company involved in corrupt practices in the acquisition of rights to major South American soccer tournaments.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/directv-fox-worked-with-fifa-middlemen-1433719761 |title=DirecTV, Fox Worked With FIFA Middlemen |author1=Tripp Mickle |author2=Patricia Kowsmann |author3=Joe Flint |date=June 7, 2015 |work=WSJ |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161205181712/http://www.wsj.com/articles/directv-fox-worked-with-fifa-middlemen-1433719761 |archive-date=December 5, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=November 3, 2020|title=Bidness - BidnessETC|url=https://www.bidnessetc.com/|access-date=August 19, 2022|language=en-US}}</ref><!-- the following material came from the MF Clients section -->

Many individuals mentioned in the Panama Papers are connected with the world governing body of association football, [[FIFA]], including the former president of [[CONMEBOL]] [[Eugenio Figueredo]];<ref name="Guardian: FIFA Ethics" /> former [[List of Presidents of UEFA|President of UEFA]] [[Michel Platini]];<ref name=FusionFIFAApr316>{{cite news |url = http://fusion.net/story/287172/fifa-dirty-money-yacht/ |title=Group of death: FIFA officials' financial secrets exposed in new Wikileaks-style trove |date=April 3, 2016 |work=Fusion |access-date=April 3, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160403223746/http://fusion.net/story/287172/fifa-dirty-money-yacht/ |archive-date=April 3, 2016 }}</ref> former secretary general of FIFA [[Jérôme Valcke]];<ref name=FusionFIFAApr316 /> Argentine player for Barcelona [[Lionel Messi]]; and, from Italy, the head manager of Metro, Antonio Guglielmi.<ref name="Guardian: FIFA Ethics" />

The leak also revealed an extensive [[conflict of interest]] between a member of the [[FIFA Ethics Committee]] and former FIFA vice president [[Eugenio Figueredo]].<ref name="Guardian: FIFA Ethics" /> Swiss police searched the offices of [[UEFA]], European football's governing body, after the naming of former secretary-general [[Gianni Infantino]] as president of FIFA. He had signed a television deal while he was at UEFA with a company called Cross Trading, which the [[FBI]] has since accused of bribery. The contract emerged among the leaked documents. Infantino has denied wrongdoing.<ref name=uefa>{{cite news |url = https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35981302 |title=Panama Papers: Uefa offices searched by Swiss police |author=BBC Sports |publisher=BBC |access-date=May 15, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160507025430/http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35981302 |archive-date = May 7, 2016 }}</ref>