Nike may not be an official FIFA sponsor. But that hasn't stopped the company from being caught up in the scandal involving allegations of tens of millions of dollars worth of bribes paid to FIFA officials. Nike rival Adidas is one of the top FIFA sponsors, paying the body that oversees the World Cup an estimated $31.6 million a year.
What did Nike say about the FIFA corruption scandal?
Nike (NKE) issued a statement Wednesday saying it is very concerned about the allegations of corruption against FIFA officials and that it strongly opposes any form of manipulation or bribery.
What is the FIFA bribery scandal and who is involved?
In addition, the indictment handed down by the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that bribery was used in an attempt to influence clothing sponsorship contracts, the selection process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup host, and the 2011 FIFA presidential election.
Did a senior FIFA official take $1m bribes to host 2022 World Cup?
A senior Fifa official took at least $1m in bribes to vote for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, a witness testified in court on Tuesday, as part of a broad investigation into corruption at Fifa.
Did Nike pay $40 million in bribes to Brazil?
Specifically, an unnamed sports equipment company – identified in multiple sources as Nike, Inc. – is alleged to have paid at least $40 million in bribes to become the sole provider of uniforms, footwear, accessories, and equipment to the Brazil national team.
Who bribed FIFA?
U.S. Says FIFA Officials Were Bribed to Award World Cups to Russia and Qatar. For nearly a decade, Russia and Qatar have been suspected of buying votes to win hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. On Monday, for the first time, the Department of Justice put things in black and white.
Who exposed FIFA corruption?
LONDON (AP) — Andrew Jennings, a groundbreaking investigative journalist who exposed the darker corners of the Olympic movement and soccer body FIFA, has died.
Did Sepp Blatter take bribes?
Sepp Blatter's Fifa vice-president took $1m bribe to vote for Qatar to win 2022 World Cup, court hears. Sepp Blatter's most senior vice-president at Fifa took at least $1 million in bribes to vote for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, a court has heard.
Did the FBI investigate FIFA?
The IRS and FBI's five-year investigation into FIFA, its executive committee and its six regional soccer federations still isn't over. So far, 32 officials have been indicted, but Sepp Blatter, FIFA's former president, has avoided charges.
How did Qatar bribe FIFA?
According to leaked documents obtained by The Sunday Times, Qatari state-run television channel Al Jazeera secretly offered $400 million to FIFA, for broadcasting rights, just 21 days before FIFA announced that Qatar will hold the 2022 World Cup.
How did FIFA get caught?
The 2015 arrests centre on the alleged use of bribery, fraud and money laundering to corrupt the issuing of media and marketing rights for FIFA games in the Americas, estimated at $150 million, including at least $110 million in bribes related to the Copa América Centenario to be hosted in 2016 in the United States.
How much is FIFA president salary?
1.5 million Swiss francs a yearFIFA president Gianni Infantino's salary has been fixed at 1.5 million Swiss francs a year (1.38 million euros, $1.5 million), world football's governing body revealed on Wednesday. That figure is less than a quarter of the salary commanded by Infantino's disgraced predecessor, Sepp Blatter.
Are UEFA corrupt?
UEFA Corruption Perhaps unsurprisingly, FIFA isn't the only footballing body guilty of misbehaviour on a grand scale. It's European counterpart, UEFA, has also been caught up in the mire of corruption that has swept through world football.
How much money did Sepp Blatter steal?
In June 2017, FIFA revealed after a more thorough investigation that Blatter and two other high-ranking members of the organization had stolen $80 million in "a coordinated effort to enrich themselves through annual salary increases, World Cup bonuses and other incentives" over a five-year period.
How much did Qatar bribe FIFA?
Qatar is set to spend more than $220 billion on the upcoming 2022 world cup. Qatar is expecting a $20 billion economic boost from hosting the worlds most prestigious football tournament.
Is FIFA a criminal organization?
The revelation of the criminal charges set off an international firestorm. Then, in December 2015, authorities made public a superseding indictment that expanded the number of suspects charged, and explained in further detail why prosecutors considered FIFA to be a criminal enterprise.
What happened with the FIFA scandal?
The investigation was initially sparked by the bidding process for the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, but was widened to look back at Fifa's dealings over the past 20 years. The Department of Justice's indictment says that the corruption was planned in the US, even if it was then carried out elsewhere.
How many friendly matches can Nike arrange?
Under its sponsorship deal, Nike was allowed to arrange five friendly matches a year for the team.
Does Nike condone performance enhancing drugs?
Nike declined to talk to the Observer, but in an earlier statement it said: “We take the allegations very seriously, as Nike does not condone the use of performance-enhancing drugs in any manner.”. The company’s share price has hardly moved since the two scandals emerged.
Will Nike stop swoosh?
Nike will hope to stop it's ‘swoosh’ brand becoming associated with allegations of bribery and doping Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters. Nike will hope to stop it's ‘swoosh’ brand becoming associated with allegations of bribery and doping Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters. Jamie Doward.
Did Kara Goucher go to the Anti Doping Agency?
The BBC reported that US Olympic runner Kara Goucher and at least six other former Salazar athletes and members of staff have gone to the US Anti-Doping Agency with their concerns. Nike is familiar with doping scandals.
Is Nike linked to doping?
Nike fights on two fronts as brand is linked to bribery and doping allegations. This article is more than 6 years old. As football and athletics come under intense scrutiny over the Fifa and Salazar investigations, Nike is facing an unwelcome PR storm.
How many FIFA officials were arrested in 2015?
On the morning of 27 May 2015, seven FIFA officials were arrested just before the start of the 65th FIFA Congress. Two days later Sepp Blatter comfortably defeated Prince Ali bin Hussein to remain as President of FIFA. David Gill threatened to resign his newly elected role as FIFA Vice-President and member of the FIFA Executive Committee. 41 arrests in total had been made with both organizations and individuals being arrested Within these arrests 14 people have been convicted. Out of these 14, there are 12 individuals and 2 organisations. They were all charged with things like "racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies". The investigations continued with the chance of more arrests remaining likely, on which Washington, D.C., Attorney General Loretta Lynch stated that the Department of Justice was aware that there are more corrupt officials and organizations, and expressed its commitment to catch all who were involved.
When did FIFA go bankrupt?
In 2001, FIFA affiliate International Sports and Leisure went bankrupt in what were viewed in some circles as suspicious circumstances. In 2002 a FIFA whistleblower contacted British journalist Andrew Jennings relating to alleged corruption within FIFA itself.
How much did Blatter sell the 2010 World Cup?
In September 2015, Swiss public television channel SRF published that Blatter would have sold the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup rights in North America for US$600,000, a small fraction of their market value.
What was the purpose of Blazer's guilty plea?
Blazer's guilty plea had aimed to stave off a more serious charge of racketeering, which carried a potential 20-year prison sentence. Blazer would later make secret recordings of meetings with FIFA officials, and allegedly carried a recording device concealed in a keyring during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
What was the purpose of the bribery indictment?
District Court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that bribery was used in an attempt to influence clothing sponsorship contracts, the selection process for the 2010 FIFA World Cup host, and the 2011 FIFA presidential election.
What is the FIFA?
In 2015, U.S. federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ), the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer .
Why was the 2014 World Cup so controversial?
Brazilian residents were unhappy with the amount of public money spent in order to build stadiums and other necessary facilities to host the World Cup. Many protests were held by citizens claiming poor financial management from the Brazilian government. Furthermore, there were additional issues with regard to safety, misconduct, and officiating with underperformance referees.
How many members does FIFA have?
FIFA is composed of 209 member associations, each representing organized soccer in a particular nation or territory, including the United States and four of its overseas territories. FIFA also recognizes six continental confederations that assist it in governing soccer in different regions of the world.
How much did the defendants pay in kickbacks?
The defendants also include U.S. and South American sports marketing executives who are alleged to have systematically paid and agreed to pay well over $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments.
How much did Hawilla forfeit?
Hawilla also agreed to forfeit over $151 million, $25 million of which was paid at the time of his plea. On May 14, 2015, the defendants Traffic Sports USA Inc. and Traffic Sports International Inc. pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.
What is the purpose of the soccer enterprise?
The principal – and entirely legitimate – purpose of the enterprise is to regulate and promote the sport of soccer worldwide. As alleged in the indictment, one key way the enterprise derives revenue is to commercialize the media and marketing rights associated with soccer events and tournaments.
What is the racketeering conspiracy?
The indictment alleges that, between 1991 and the present, the defendants and their co-conspirators corrupted the enterprise by engaging in various criminal activities , including fraud, bribery and money laundering.
Who bribed FIFA officials?
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 ...
Why were Leoz and Teixeira indicted?
Leoz and Teixeira were indicted in 2015 on charges related to bribery schemes to sell lucrative soccer rights to sports broadcasters. The U.S. prosecutors also stated in Monday’s indictment that the former soccer official Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, who has been fighting extradition to the U.S.
Which countries have been accused of buying votes to win hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups?
For nearly a decade, Russia and Qatar have been suspected of buying votes to win hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. On Monday, for the first time, the Department of Justice put things in black and white. France celebrated its triumph at the men’s World Cup in Russia in 2018.
Who won the rights to televise the 2018 and 2022 World Cups?
This was the first time the federal government had formally accused Fox , which won the rights to televise the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, or any of its executives of wrongdoing. During the 2017 trial, Burzaco accused Fox of bribing officials, an accusation that the company denied at the time.
What did Lopez and Martinez do?
Lopez and Martinez “relied on loyalty secured through the payment of bribes,” according to the indictment. Among other things, the prosecutors said, the bribes helped Fox obtain confidential information “regarding bidding for the rights to broadcast the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments in the United States.”.
How much did Qatar take in bribes?
A senior Fifa official took at least $1m in bribes to vote for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, a witness testified in court on Tuesday, as part of a broad investigation into corruption at Fifa.
Who is on trial for corruption in Brazil?
Burzaco’s testimony, which is expected to continue into Wednesday, also implicated the three former football executives, José Maria Marín, Manuel Burga and Juan Ángel Napout, currently on trial.
How much did Grondona bribe?
In total, the former executive said, he had arranged $15m in bribes for securing the rights to the Copa América, which at that point were held by a rival marketing company. Burzaco said that Grondona told him in January 2011 to also pay him Teixeria’s $1m Copa América bribe, which the Brazilian “owed him” as “Grondona voted for Qatar to host ...
Who was the witness who died in 2014?
This article is more than 3 years old. Julio Grondona, who died in 2014, told witness Alejandro Burzaco he was owed money for vote, Burzaco testifies amid corruption investigation. Sepp Blatter, right, and Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, emir of Qatar, with the World Cup trophy after Qatar was announced as the host for 2022.
Did Burga tell me he was happy collecting bribes?
After being charged in 2015, following a morning raid on a hotel in Zurich, Burzaco testified that he briefly went into hiding before deciding to turn himself in and cooperate.
