The US Attorney General has awarded the FIFA Foundation financial compensation of US $ 201 million for losses from years of bribery by high-ranking officials.
The world football association announced this on Tuesday evening.
Corresponding losses were suffered by both FIFA and its continental associations Concacaf (North and Central America and the Caribbean) and Conmenbol (South America).
The money was confiscated from the bank accounts of former officials who had been involved in bribery projects and were held responsible for them. According to the announcement, the funds will flow into the new World Football Reparation Fund under the umbrella of the FIFA Foundation. This is used to finance projects for the benefit of communities around the world.
"I am very pleased that this money illegally diverted from football is back to its rightful destination, as it should have been from the start," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino, thanking the US judicial authorities for their efforts, "the quick one and efficient handling of this procedure as well as the trust.
Thanks to their intervention in 2015, we were able to fundamentally reform the then disreputable association and establish FIFA as a highly valued and trustworthy global sports organization. "
Under the leadership of the then chief prosecutor Loretta Lynch, the US Department of Justice had investigated the scandal surrounding the world association against numerous football officials.Since the beginning of the affair in 2015, there have been charges against more than 40 people and numerous convictions in the USA.