Soccer Scam Jury Hears of Fox TV Rights Bought With Bribes (2)

Two former executives under the 21st Century Fox banner bribed soccer officials to win lucrative broadcast rights to tournaments, a prosecutor told a jury in their criminal trial, part of a long-running probe of corruption in the sport.

Hernan Lopez and Carlos Martinez were also accused of engaging in wire-fraud and money-laundering conspiracies for trying to promote Fox’s interests in securing the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.

“This system of bribery lasted for years, through generations of leaders,” Assistant US Attorney Victor Zapana Jr. told the jurors in an opening statement Tuesday. The bribery helped promote Fox as a ...