Sepp Blatter FIFA FBI Investigation Latest News: Outgoing President Reportedly Was Aware of Bribes
It looks like outgoing FIFA President Sepp Blatter couldn't seem to evade trouble this year, with the latest one involving the FBI. The Bureau is investigating the role of Blatter in a $100 million bribery scandal perpetrated by a sports marketing company called ISL.
According to a report from BBC, ISL paid a total of $100 million to officials of the football governing body, including its former president Joao Havelange and former executive officer Ricardo Teixeira, in which the company was hoping to get a lucrative TV and marketing rights for the entirety of the 90s.
The investigation is a response from the FBI after Havelange implicated him, as contained in a documentary from BBC Panorama. The Bureau got a letter that was eventually handed out to Swiss officials, which contained a request for help. The most controversial detail of that letter reads:
"Mr. Blatter had full knowledge of all activities, and was always apprised to them."
Later on, the FBI then sent a covering note to its Swiss counterparts, saying, "Among other things, the prosecutor is investigating Havelange's statements implicating Blatter and appearing to exculpate Havelange's son-in-law, Ricardo Teixeira, in the ISL matter."
Amid all the issues and controversies within the FIFA governing body, Havelange eventually gave in and resigned as honorary president in 2013 after a report submitted by the ethics committee revealed that he and Texeira took bribes in a whopping eight-year period.
It is also interesting that the same report actually provided that Blatter was not criminally liable in returning the $1 million bribe that was meant for Havelange when it reached his office, saying that he was only acting clumsily.
To date, Blatter has always insisted that he is innocent and wasn't aware of the bribery. He is currently serving a 90-day provisional suspension and will be facing a hearing with the ethics judge this month.
