Out of One Scandal Over FIFA Corruption, Another Emerges

Money that was clawed back after one of soccer's biggest corruption scandals may not have ended up where fans were told it would, reports the New York Times. Alejandro Dominguez, head of South America's soccer confederation Conmebol and a FIFA vice president, is the subject of an ethics complaint alleging he and another senior official took more than $5 million from recovered funds as secret bonuses or commissions. A whistleblower claims firsthand knowledge of the payments, which are tied to tens of millions returned from accounts once controlled by indicted officials, including former Conmebol president Nicolás Leoz.

Senior FIFA figures have known about the complaint for more than a year, sources told the Times, but the status of any investigation is unclear, amid what former FIFA governance chief Miguel Maduro calls a near-total lack of transparency in the ethics process under FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "Instead of dismissing the complaint or acting on it, they simply many times keep it (in the ethics committee) and no one knows what they will do," says Maduro. Conmebol says it is unaware of any complaint; FIFA and Dominguez did not respond to questions. With the World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada weeks away, the timing is awkward. Read the full New York Times investigation for the detailed allegations and documents behind it.