The U.S. Justice Department has made a move to reinstate the convictions of a former Fox executive and a South American sports media and marketing company in the FIFA bribery investigation. The request was made to a federal appeals court, seeking to overturn the acquittal granted by U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen in September.

The former CEO of Fox International Channels, Hernan Lopez, along with the marketing company Full Play Group SA, were convicted of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy related to various soccer tournaments. However, the convictions were overturned following a Supreme Court decision in a similar case involving an aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

In a filing to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the government argued that the court’s misapprehension of certain facts led to the improper overturning of the convictions. It emphasized that the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to sustain the defendants’ convictions, despite the court’s new legal rule.

The government also highlighted that one of the schemes involved Full Play bribing a soccer executive who violated his fiduciary duty to a U.S.-based soccer organization for the rights to a tournament played in the United States. It urged the appeals court to either reinstate the conviction or order a new trial.

The FIFA bribery investigation has been ongoing since 2015, resulting in numerous guilty pleas and convictions. The probe, led by U.S. prosecutors, exposed widespread corruption within FIFA and international soccer federations, alleging the acceptance of $150 million in bribes over nearly a quarter-century, tarnishing the sport.

Other News

In other news, West Ham and Brighton settled for a 0-0 draw in the Premier League, while 16-year-old Littler reached the final of the world darts championship in a remarkable underdog story. Additionally, Wayne Rooney was dismissed as manager after 15 games at second-tier Birmingham.