US authorities have sentenced the former president of El Salvador’s soccer federation to 16 months in jail in relation to a bribery case. The convict and other soccer officials from El Salvador received over $350,000 in bribes from an American company in exchange for the sale of broadcast rights to the El Salvador soccer team’s World Cup qualifier and friendly matches.
During 2009-11, the convict served as the President of the Federación Salvadoreña de Fútbol. In 2012, he and others took over $350,000 in bribes and kickbacks for selling lucrative media and marketing rights to El Salvador World Cup qualifying matches to be played prior to the 2018 World Cup. The conspirators received this bribe from a sports marketing company’s US-based bank account. Thereafter, in 2014-15, the convict and his co-conspirators again agreed to receive bribes worth tens of thousands of dollars related to the Salvadorean national team’s friendly matches played in the US.
Authorities had charged the convict in 2015, extradited him to the US from El Salvador in 2021. The convict had pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy in 2021 and had agreed to forfeit $360,000 to the government.
Source: US Department of Justice
