SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Conmebol take control of rights for 2016 Copa America

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The South American football confederation has taken over the management of sponsorship and rebroadcast rights for the 2016 Centenary Copa America, the confederation (Conmebol) said on Friday.

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

The move sidelines Argentine company Datisa and removes another obstacle to hosting the tournament in the United States.

"Conmebol and Datisa have agreed to rescind all the commercial rights that Datisa had for the sale of sponsorship and rebroadcasts associated with the Centenary Copa America," a Conmebol statement said.

"Conmebol will take control of those commercial rights while they together with the CONCACAF and the United States Soccer Federation will identify new partners to sell the tournament's commercial rights through a new and transparent process."

Three of the main shareholders in Datisa were among those indicted by the U.S. in May during a crackdown on worldwide football corruption which has tarnished FIFA's reputation.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

The U.S. indictment said the three men conspired to win and keep hold of lucrative media rights contracts from regional football federations through the payment of up to $110 million in bribes.

The three, Alejandro Burzaco, Hugo Jinkis and his son Mariano Jinkis, are all Argentine citizens.

Burzaco has been extradited to the United States and is out on bail after pleading not guilty. The Jinkis's have been released from house arrest but cannot stray from their places of residence longer than 24 hours without a judge's permission.

They have surrendered their passports while a judge seeks more information from U.S. authorities.

Their indictments were one of the reasons the future of the 2016 Centenary Copa America was thrown into doubt.

Another issue is whether heads of top Latin American confederations will travel to the U.S.. Some bosses are thought to fear arrest if they set foot in the country.

Although the Copa is usually contested every four years by teams from South America, a special centenary version was announced for next year with teams from all over the Americas.

The Copa America was first held in 1916 and is the oldest international tournament in the world.

(Writing by Andrew Downie, reporting by Felipe Iturrieta, editing by Ken Ferris)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world