SÃO PAULO--Brazil and Argentina, two of the worldapos;s major soccer powers, initiated probes against
local executives in tandem with the U.S.-led bribery case that has targeted international soccer organizations and
shaken the sports world.
In Brazil, police and prosecutors raided the offices of a sports-marketing firm owned by a prominent local
businessman, as officials said they were cooperating with their U.S. counterparts in the sweeping probe.
The U.S. investigation, in cooperation with Switzerland, led to the arrests on Wednesday of 13 current and former
officials from FIFA, world soccerapos;s governing body, and others connected with Latin American and Caribbean soccer
organizations, as well as one from the U.S.
In Argentina, the countryapos;s tax agency filed a criminal complaint against three Argentine businessmen indicted by
the Justice Department, accusing them of tax evasion, money laundering and conspiracy to commit a crime. The men
werenapos;t available to comment but a lawyer for two of them said he would defend them against any extradition
request.
Argentinaapos;s tax agency also said it tried to get FIFAapos;s help to investigate allegations that foreign clubs
have used tax havens to avoid paying taxes on the sale and transfer of Argentine players. The agency said that it told
FIFA President Sepp Blatter in an April letter that the organization wasnapos;t helpful and that it was delaying
efforts to make the sport more transparent.
quot;FIFA never collaborated with fiscal transparency in soccer,quot; the tax agency said on Thursday.
FIFA didnapos;t respond to the allegations.
The Brazilian company, Klefer Marketing Esportivo, which was raided in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday night, is owned by
Kleber Leite, the former president of popular Rio-based soccer club Clube de Regatas do Flamengo.
Mr. Leite, who wasnapos;t named in the U.S. indictment, said he was under investigation in connection with a past
agreement between him and José Hawilla, a Brazilian national who was listed as a co-conspirator in the U.S.
indictment.
Mr. Leite denied any wrongdoing and said he was cooperating with investigators. He didnapos;t provide details of his
companyapos;s work with Mr. Hawillaapos;s company, Traffic Group.
Mr. Hawilla is cooperating with the FBI in its investigation, his lawyer said on Wednesday. Under an accord with U.S.
authorities, Mr. Hawilla has admitted to crimes including money laundering, fraud, extortion, and agreed to return $151
million.
U.S. prosecutors indicted the 14 people on charges ranging from racketeering to money-laundering and wire fraud. U.S.
prosecutors allege that senior officials of organizations including FIFA and the Brazilian Confederation of Football
received more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks over years in connection with the sale of TV and marketing
rights to soccer games and regional tournaments.
U.S. prosecutors, in their indictment, allege that Traffic Group executives bribed officials at FIFA and Concacaf, the
soccer federation for North and Central America and the Caribbean region, to win contracts to sell marketing rights.
The political fallout from the indictment was swift in Brazil.
A group of Brazilian politicians, including former soccer star and current Sen. Romario Faria, approved an
investigation into the countryapos;s soccer industry, which he said would quot;shake Brazilian soccer.quot; Another
Brazilian legislator, Sen. Alvaro Dias, called for Brazilian sporting federations to be audited by the countryapos;s
fiscal watchdog, the Federal Court of Accounts.
Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo said Brazilapos;s Federal Police were opening an investigation into
allegations contained in the U.S. indictment.
quot;We can only investigate actions that are crimes under Brazilian legislation,quot; Mr. Cardozo said. quot;If
there were any, and there probably were, Brazilapos;s Federal Police will investigate vigorously.quot;
The Brazilian Confederation of Footballapos;s former president, José Maria Marin, was among the officials
arrested Wednesday. Mr. Marin stepped down last month but was still a vice president of the organization until
Wednesday, when the confederation stripped him of that title.
The confederationapos;s headquarters in Rio de Janeiro were named after Mr. Marin, but the group had his name removed
from the facade early Thursday.
Taos Turner in Buenos Aires contributed to this article.
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