OFF THE CUFF: Ex-Panama soccer czar named in FIFA scandal

WITH SO MUCH political. judicial, business, banking and police corruption poisoning the Panama air, it  would have been a surprise if  we missed out on the world’s biggest sporting scandal … FIFA.

While on Thursday Dec. 3 the TV networks were announcing the names of the Latin American top dogs Honduran Alfredo Hawit, who was in charge of Concacaf, and Paraguayan Juan Angel Napout, head of Conmebol arrested  in Zurich at dawn, local pundits  were pondering if the blow would also fall on Panama  as the FBI said more   would be caught in the net.  It soon emerged drom international sources that former Panamanian Soccer Federation (Fepafut) President Ariel Alvarado will be charged in the next few days by U.S. authorities for corruption, international

According to information published by the Reuters news agency, “U.S. prosecutors will accuse the former Panamanian leader Ariel Alvarado in the next stage of the research into corruption in soccer.”

According to the report, based on a judicial source, the authorities will name 16 defendants  and “most are in the Western Hemisphere.” The charges related to payments made for television rights.

Ariel Alvarado was president of Fepafut between 2000 and 2011 and also served on the Executive Committee of Concacaf.