South American football bosses guilty of bribery

Napout and Marin were found guilty of wire fraud and racketeering conspiracies

The former heads of Brazil’s soccer federation and South American soccer were convicted of accepting millions of dollars in bribes from sports-marketing companies for the media and marketing rights to professional tournaments, in a setback for organisers of the world’s most popular sport.

The U.S. verdict came in the first case to go to trial in a corruption crackdown that began with a predawn raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich in 2015. The convictions follow guilty pleas from 24 people tied to FIFA, international soccer’s governing association. Fifteen others who’ve been charged are fighting extradition to the U.S.

Juan Angel Napout,