FIFA President Gianni Infantino "has been caught up in the sport’s corruption scandal because of documents that have been revealed by the Panama Papers leak," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. Files will raise questions about the role Infantino played in deals that were "concluded when he was director of legal services" at UEFA. According to records, UEFA concluded offshore deals with one of the indicted figures at the heart of an alleged "World Cup of fraud" despite "previously insisting it had no dealings with any of them." The emergence of the contracts from '03 and '06, which were co-signed by Infantino, link UEFA "for the first time to one of the companies involved in the huge unfolding scandal" that has brought down former FIFA President Sepp Blatter. UEFA has "denied any wrongdoing by any of its officials or any other marketing partner." It said that the contracts "were all above board" (GUARDIAN, 4/6).
TV RIGHTS DEAL IN QUESTION: In London, Ziegler & Bremner reported the papers show that Infantino signed a Champions League TV rights deal in '06 with two Argentine businessmen when he was legal director for UEFA. The deal was with Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, owners of a company called Cross Trading, "who are under house arrest while fighting extradition" to the U.S. for bribery. The papers show that they purchased three years' worth of TV rights for $111,000, and almost immediately sold them on to the Ecuadorian TV station Teleamazonas for $311,170. There is "nothing in the papers to suggest" that Infantino or UEFA received or paid a bribe relating to the contract with Cross Trading "or that Teleamazonas did so either" (LONDON TIMES, 4/6). The BBC's Richard Conway reported Cross Trading also paid $28,000 for the rights to the UEFA Super Cup, selling those to Teleamazonas for $126,200. Cross Trading also has links to Juan Pedro Damiani, a member of FIFA's ethics committee who has "already been placed under internal investigation." A UEFA spokesperson said that the rights were sold following an "open, competitive, tender process." He added that the bid from Teleamazonas was accepted because it was "considerably more" than that from a rival broadcaster (BBC, 4/5).
INFANTINO 'DISMAYED': In London, Caroline Mortimer reported Infantino said that he was "dismayed" that his "integrity is being doubted." He said, "From the moment I was made aware of the latest media enquiries on the matter, I immediately contacted UEFA to seek clarity. I did this because I am no longer with UEFA, and it is they who exclusively possess all contractual information relating to this query" (INDEPENDENT, 4/5).
PRESSURE ON FIFA: In London, Gibson reported in a separate piece MPs and FIFA reform campaigners "have called for an urgent investigation into questions raised by a decade old TV rights deal" that has dragged Infantino into the Panama Papers affair. Tory MP Damian Collins called for an investigation by FIFA’s independent ethics committee and Labour’s Shadow Sports Minister Clive Efford said that the questions raised by the Panama Papers "showed how far world football’s embattled governing body had to go to restore trust." A spokesperson for the investigatory arm of FIFA’s ethics committee said on Wednesday that it was "unable to comment on whether it would open an investigation." Collins, who is one of the co-founders of NewFifaNow and a member of the culture, media & sport select committee, said, "It is a big embarrassment to Infantino that UEFA previously claimed not to have had any dealings with organizations indicted by the FBI." Efford: "UEFA must explain how these rights came to be valued so that it allowed others to cash in by selling them on" (GUARDIAN, 4/6).
AFA BACKS MESSI: The DPA reported the Argentine FA expressed its support for Lionel Messi, who was mentioned in the Panama Papers. The AFA said in a statement, "Regarding the int'l scandal with the 'Panama Papers' affair, AFA President Luis Segura expresses his unconditional support for Lionel Messi" (DPA, 4/6).
SCHEDULE CONFLICT: ESPN reported a Barcelona court has moved the date of Messi's tax fraud trial from May 31 to June 7 at the request of the lawyers. The change of date could mean that he "might miss a date in the first week of Copa America Centenario play." Although Messi does not need to be present for the trial, estimated to last about four days, "he has been called in to testify and as such, his presence will be expected for at least one of those days" (ESPN, 4/5).
REAL SOCIEDAD RESPONDS: MUNDO DEPORTIVO reported La Liga side Real Sociedad responded to being mentioned in the Panama Papers by saying in a statement, "1. The Gipuzkoa tax authorities in '08-09 conducted a fiscal investigation of Real Sociedad. 2. The financial situation of Real Sociedad was normalized as a consequence of that inspection. Since 2009, the club has been meeting all its financial obligations" (MUNDO DEPORTIVO, 4/6).
