The U.S. Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to drop its effort to preserve the convictions of Hernán López and Argentine firm Full Play in the FIFA bribery probe. Both were convicted in March 2023 of wire-fraud and money-laundering charges, had those verdicts overturned on appeal, and saw them reinstated in July. Prosecutors told the court dismissal is "in the interests of justice" and asked for the case to be returned to a lower court for formal dismissal. López said on X he was "grateful the truth prevailed."
U.S. Drops Effort To Uphold FIFA Bribery Convictions Involving Former Fox Executive
The case was one of several to emerge from a sweeping 2015 probe by the US Justice Department (Michael Buholzer)(Michael Buholzer/AFP/AFP)
The U.S. government has moved to withdraw its bid to preserve convictions tied to the long-running FIFA bribery scandal, filing with the Supreme Court to end its pursuit of a conviction against former Fox executive Hernán López and Argentine sports-marketing firm Full Play.
Both López and Full Play were found guilty in March 2023 of conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering in schemes that prosecutors say paid bribes to secure lucrative international television rights. Those convictions were overturned on appeal months later and then reinstated in July.
In a filing to the Supreme Court — submitted after López asked justices to review his case — prosecutors said dismissal of the matter was "in the interests of justice," but they offered no further explanation. They asked the court to return the case to a lower court so it can be formally dismissed.
López, who holds U.S. and Argentine citizenship, posted on X that he was "grateful the truth prevailed" and expressed confidence that "more of that truth will come out." If his convictions had stood, he faced up to 40 years in prison and potential multimillion-dollar fines.
The prosecutions grew out of a sweeping 2015 Department of Justice investigation into corruption in international football that helped weaken the authority of then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Prosecutors at trial identified six senior South American football figures as major beneficiaries of the kickback schemes, including former CONMEBOL president Nicolás Leoz, Argentine executive Julio Grondona and former Brazilian football chief Ricardo Teixeira.
The decision to drop the appeal comes against a broader backdrop of debates over U.S. enforcement of anti-corruption laws. President Donald Trump has issued a number of high-profile pardons for individuals convicted of corruption-related offenses, and earlier this year he directed the Justice Department to pause certain enforcement actions under a long-established law that bars U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials to obtain business.
Attention on FIFA remains high as the United States will co-host the World Cup with Canada and Mexico next year. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also courted political figures ahead of the tournament, most recently awarding President Trump the governing body's inaugural "peace prize."
What Happens Next: The Supreme Court will return the matter to a lower court for formal dismissal unless it decides otherwise; prosecutors provided no additional public rationale for the move.
