Emilio Fernando Azcárraga Jean, who controls the voting shares of Grupo Televisa, is allegedly related to FIFA Gate.
Azcárraga Jean has denied being linked to this case.
FIFA Gate was a corruption scandal that broke in 2015 and exposed a network of bribery, money laundering and fraud within FIFA.
On May 27, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted 14 officials and businessmen for corruption in television, marketing and tournament venue contracts.
For more than 20 years, million-dollar bribes were paid for favors within soccer. Several executives were arrested in Switzerland just before the FIFA Congress.
Emilio Fernando Azcárraga Jean
As Grupo Televisa announced in August 2024, this DOJ investigation could have a material impact on the company’s financial condition or results of operations.
Grupo Televisa indicated that it cannot predict the outcome of the investigation or whether it will, in fact, have an adverse effect. The company is cooperating with the investigation.
For the time being, Emilio Fernando Azcárraga Jean is on leave of absence from his position as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors as of October 24, 2024, pending the outcome of the investigation currently being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with FIFA.
Bribes
The investigation revealed a bribery network. These payments were intended to favor certain television networks. In exchange, they obtained the rights to broadcast matches of the men’s World Cup, which is held every four years.
In addition, benefits were also granted in tournaments such as the Copa America and Copa Libertadores.
On the other hand, in 2017, The New York Times published a key report. In it, a Televisa subsidiary, the Swiss company Mountrigi, is linked to bribes directed to high-ranking FIFA officials.
According to the publication, Mountrigi acquired the rights to broadcast World Cup matches from 2018 and 2022 for around $190 million. In addition, the subsidiary also purchased the rights for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, although the amount was not disclosed.
Grupo Televisa’s Executive Committee is currently comprised of Alfonso de Angoitia Noriega and Bernardo Gómez Martínez. Emilio Fernando Azcárraga Jean is on leave from his position as Executive Chairman of the Board as of October 24, 2024, until the investigation is resolved.