December 8 – Marco Polo del Nero, embattled president of the Brazilian football federation, has begun his leave of absence to prepare his defense against wide-ranging corruption charges.
Del Nero, who has left FIFA’s executive committee, is one of the new names indicted in the FBI corruption case and was the object last weekend of a nationwide protest by Brazilian players.
Hundreds of players from across the country folded their arms across their chests in a silent protest at how the national federation has been run, standing motionless for 15 seconds before the final round of games to end the season.
“Del Nero must go – now,” the player group ‘Bom Senso FC’ (Common Sense FC) said on its Twitter account. “We want clean elections.”
Del Nero is the third CBF president to be indicted or arrested this year following his immediate predecessor Jose Maria Marin and the notorious Ricardo Teixeira.
Meanwhile, ex-Conmebol boss and FIFA vice-president Juan Angel Napout, arrested in Zurich last week by the Swiss authorities on a US-requested warrant, is apparently ready to accept extradition to the United States.
Quoting his lawyers, newspaper ABC Color reported on its website that Napout had agreed with his defense team — a Boston-based law firm — to accept immediate extradition.
“Mr Napout has declined his right to a hearing before the Swiss authorities and agreed to be immediately extradited to the United States to directly confront the accusations before the US justice system,” the defense team said in a statement quoted by the daily.
“Since his election as CONMEBOL vice president in 2013 and president in 2014… Juan Angel Napout has dedicated himself to promoting and putting in place a policy of transparency and reform.”
“His detention last week was contrary to his record and Senor Napout not only insists firmly on his innocence but also that he intends to contest these unfounded allegations.”
Taken together, the 27 defendants in the so-called “superseding indictment” are alleged to have engaged in a number of schemes all designed to solicit and receive over $200 million in bribes and kickbacks to sell lucrative media and marketing rights to international tournaments and matches, among other valuable rights and properties.
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