Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) President Marco Polo Del Nero is the "target of an investigation" of the U.S. Department of Justice, which is "trying to track payments that may have gone to him," according to Jamil Chade of ESTADÃO. Sources close to the matter said that the investigation "is underway" in N.Y. in relation to "alleged kickbacks that he may have received for granting commercial contracts to partners of the CBF." According to the sources, if suspicions are proven, Del Nero could be arrested and "even extradited from Brazil." Two documents revealed by the U.S. DoJ on May 27 "confirmed the suspicion" that Del Nero was involved in a bribe for the commercial rights for the Copa do Brasil; however, Del Nero's name is not on either of them. The CBF said in a statement, "The president of the CBF is unaware of any current investigation involving his name. His position, in relation to questions of this nature, is and will always be completely collaborative, always within the law and with the presentation of facts and objective data that will corroborate the reason for his actions in the positions that he has or has had. If there is an investigation, it will conclude that he had no involvement whatsoever in bribes or any other irregularities" (ESTADÃO, 7/6).
