Ex-Guatemala football chief Jimenez pleads guilty to bribes

Image copyright AFP

Image caption Brayan Jimenez was arrested in Guatemala in January and later extradited to the US

Brayan Jimenez, a former head of Guatemala"s football federation, has pleaded guilty in a US court to racketeering and wire fraud.

The 62-year-old now faces up to 20 years in prison for each count.

Prosecutors say he received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to award lucrative marketing rights to his country"s World Cup qualifying matches to a Florida based company.

He was arrested in Guatemala in January and later extradited to the US.

He is among more than 40 individuals and entities from around the globe charged as part of a major corruption investigation at Fifa – the world governing body of world football.

Brayan Jimenez was head of the Guatemalan Football Federation (Fedefut) from 2010 until last year.

US prosecutors say he and former Fedefut Secretary-General Hector Trujillo took a "six-digit bribe" to sell the television rights to qualifying matches for the 2018 World Cup.

Mr Trujillo was arrested in the US in 2015.

The US Department of Justice has said it asked for the arrests because the alleged offences were "agreed and prepared in the United States" and payments were also processed via American banks.

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Ex-Guatemala football chief Jimenez pleads guilty to bribes
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