US prosecutors pivot to Hernan Lopez and Full Play FIFAgate case calling for charges to be dropped – Inside World Football

In 2023, Hernan Lopez, the former CEO of Fox International Channels, and Full Play Group SA were convicted in a trial in New York. A judge later quashed the 2023 convictions before an appeals court reinstated the sentences in July, prompting further appeals and leaving the future of the case uncertain.

U.S. prosecutors now want the case dismissed, telling the Supreme Court that the government has concluded that “the dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice.” They requested that the case be remanded to a lower court, which would hear a motion to dismiss the charges.

Lopez said in a statement that he was grateful for the decision to resign and was eager to move on.

“The charges were unfounded from the start and I fought for five years to clear my name,” he said.

Lopez and Full Play were among dozens involved in a sweeping U.S. investigation into international soccer and FIFA. The investigation came to light in 2015, when U.S. prosecutors charged more than 40 officials from multiple soccer federations, alleging they accepted $150 million in bribes and kickbacks. It would ultimately lead to the downfall of Sepp Blatter, the then FIFA president.

During Lopez’s trial, witnesses testified that he was one of several executives who arranged bribes for officials of Conmebol, the South American soccer governing body, to help Fox secure broadcast rights to the Copa Libertadores. Prosecutors also said the bribes facilitated by Lopez allowed Fox to obtain confidential information about bids for media rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.

In recent years, however, a Supreme Court ruling has narrowed the scope of corruption crimes, making some convictions harder to obtain. The Trump administration also changed the federal government’s anti-corruption enforcement strategy.

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