12 Mar 2008Fifa man named in ISL investigation

A Fifa executive committee member has been named by prosecutors in the investigation into the collapse of ISL, the former marketing arm of Fifa.

Nicolas Leoz has been president of the South American Football Confederation (CSF) since 1986, and has been named as one of the people to have received payments via a suspect Liechtenstein bank account.

The account is owned by ISL but is not declared as part of the structure of ISL's holding company ISMM.

However, it is important to note that Mr Leoz has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Six former executives from ISL/ISMM are on trial on charges ranging from embezzlement to forging documents.

According to prosecutors, the accused bribed people involved in negotiating the rights deals for major sporting events, with around £8.7 million in bribes is said to have been channelled through Luxembourg.

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, says football's governing body will not be affected by the court case.

"The court has said very clearly that no officials or staff members of Fifa are among the accused," he said, the BBC reports.

"We look forward to this trial and to the ruling."

ISMM held the television and marketing rights to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

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