Hugo and Mariano Jinkis admit roles in Fifagate

Hugo Jinkis and his son Mariano have formally acknowledged taking part in the corruption network exposed by the Fifagate investigation. Their admissions place the two Argentine businessmen at the centre of a case involving payments intended to secure valuable international football rights.

The pair were linked to Full Play, an Argentine sports marketing company that sold television and commercial rights. In a federal court in New York, they admitted paying bribes to international football officials to advance their business interests. The payments amounted to tens of millions of dollars and were connected to rights for World Cup qualifying matches and Copa America games.

The admissions are part of an agreement with US prosecutors. Under its terms, fraud proceedings against the two men will be dropped, while they accept the confiscation of $50 million. The arrangement allows them to avoid a trial but records their participation in the scheme in court.

The case is a further legal consequence of the scandal that erupted in 2015, when US investigators uncovered alleged corruption involving FIFA officials and figures from several continental confederations. The investigation led to arrests, convictions and guilty pleas, while also deepening the crisis around FIFA and weakening the position of its then-president, Sepp Blatter. The Jinkis admissions may help prosecutors clarify the network of intermediaries involved.