A law-enforcing agency, for the very first time, has said what many people have already stated or believed.
That Russia and Qatar paid bribes to secure World Cup hosting rights.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday alleged that both Russia and Qatar bribed FIFA executive committee members for votes to win the hosting rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively. Prosecutors laid out the elaborate plots from the two countries, which included paying sums of up to $5 million to former top-ranking officials like former FIFA vice president Jack Warner.
The DOJ also charged two former Fox executives on Monday for wire fraud and money laundering connected to the bidding for the broadcast rights of the two World Cups.
Both Russia and Qatar have maintained there was no wrongdoing in their bidding processes. Qatar beat out the United States, among other nations, for the rights to the upcoming 2022 World Cup.