‘Tens Of Millions’: Argentine Duo Admit Bribes In FIFA Scandal

An Argentine father and son at the centre of the sprawling FIFA corruption scandal have admitted paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to football officials in exchange for lucrative media and marketing rights. Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, co-owners of Argentine sports marketing company Full Play, reached a deal with US prosecutors on Thursday that will see them avoid trial while forfeiting $50 million.

The pair were among the figures charged following the 2015 investigation that exposed widespread corruption within FIFA and shook football's governing structures across South and North America. Their admission now provides a formal conclusion to one of the long-running cases stemming from that investigation, with the United States agreeing to drop the fraud charges under a deferred prosecution agreement.

What did Hugo and Mariano Jinkis admit?

According to a US court filing, the Jinkises "agreed to pay and did pay tens of millions of dollars in commercial bribes" to football executives.

The payments were made in return for support in securing valuable media and marketing rights to international football competitions.

The father-son duo admitted to devising a scheme that defrauded FIFA, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, with their company Full Play benefiting from the arrangements.

The media rights included broadcasts of major South American football properties, including World Cup qualifying matches and the Copa America.

How did the FIFA corruption scandal begin?

The Jinkises' case dates back to the 2015 FIFA corruption investigation, one of the most significant scandals in the history of world football.

The US probe uncovered allegations that football officials had accepted bribes and kickbacks in exchange for commercial rights and other benefits. The investigation eventually expanded across FIFA and its continental confederations, particularly CONMEBOL in South America and CONCACAF in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The fallout was dramatic.

Authorities raided FIFA officials in Zurich, while a series of arrests, prosecutions, guilty pleas and convictions followed in the years after the investigation became public.

The scandal also brought unprecedented scrutiny to the way football's governing bodies awarded valuable commercial rights.

## What is Full Play?

Full Play is an Argentine sports marketing company co-owned by Hugo and Mariano Jinkis.

The company operated in the lucrative market for football broadcasting and commercial rights, making access to major international competitions extremely valuable.

The US court filing states that the Jinkises used bribery to secure rights to events including World Cup qualifiers and the Copa America.

Rather than competing solely through legitimate commercial negotiations, prosecutors alleged that the company participated in a scheme involving payments to football executives who could influence the awarding of those rights.

What does the agreement mean for the Jinkises?

The Jinkises have agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with US prosecutors.

As part of the deal, they admitted their role in the scheme and agreed to forfeit **$50 million**.

In return, US prosecutors will drop the fraud charges against them under the terms of the agreement.

The settlement brings an end to their individual case without a trial, but their admissions formally acknowledge their involvement in the bribery scheme described by US prosecutors.

The case also underlines the scale of the corruption exposed by the 2015 investigation, which revealed how valuable football rights could become a vehicle for illicit payments and influence.