By SBI SOCCER
All signs continue to point at the U.S. not hosting the Copa America Centenario, as one man who helped sell marketing rights for the tournament is set to be extradited on charges of bribery.
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) announced Thursday that it has approved the extradition of Eugenio Figueredo, the former vice president of FIFA and CONMEBOL, to the U.S. pending an appeal.
Figueredo, among other FIFA officials, was indicted by the U.S. government in May for counts of bribery. He reportedly accepted bribes from a Uruguayan sports marketing company for the sales of marketing rights for the Copa America tournaments in the years 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023.
“In its extradition ruling, the FOJ concluded that all of the conditions for extradition are fulfilled. Specifically, the facts laid down in the U.S. extradition request are also punishable under Swiss law (the principle of dual criminality),” a statement read.
“According to the request, by accepting bribes for the award of sports marketing contracts, Figueredo massively influenced the competitive situation and distorted the market for media rights in connection with the Copa América. Other sports marketing companies were placed at a disadvantage, and the affected football federations were prevented from negotiating more favourable marketing agreements.”
Next year’s Copa America is meant to mark the 100-year celebration of CONMEBOL, but ever since the U.S. government started indicting FIFA officials in May, rumors of relocation have been swirling.
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What do you think of this development? Think Figueredo will appeal? How much does this hurt the U.S.’s chances of hosting the Copa America Centenario in your opinion?
Share your thoughts below?
http://www.bigsoccer.com/blog/2015/9/17/copa-centenario-still-alive
Today: “CONCACAF marketing Chief, Jurgen Mainka insists that the tournament will take place, as scheduled, among the purple mountain majesties and amber waves of grain next June.”
Only time will tell if, when, and where.
What better way to celebrate the centennial of a major international soccer tournament than with a massive bribery and corruption scandal! I can’t wait to see what WC 2030 brings.
Well, just saw that the US is not attending today’s meeting in Mexico. So, that does seem pretty negative. Drat.
Why does this extradition have any impact on the if/where the tournament would be hosted? If anything, the more recent signs seem to me to indicate that there will be a tournament and it will be hosted in the US.