Prosecutors look to drop bribery case against former Fox exec over soccer rights

Update [12/13/2025]: This piece has been corrected to indicate Hernan Lopez was convicted of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy by federal prosecutors. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Lopez was convicted of “facilitating bribes.”

Over a decade since U.S. prosecutors laid out a wide-ranging corruption case against top soccer federation leaders alleging $150 million in bribes and payoffs, the case against a former Fox executive finally seems destined for resolution.

Hernan Lopez, the former CEO of Fox International Channels, was convicted in 2023 of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy “that helped Fox get broadcasting rights to the Copa Libertadores South American club championship,” and more importantly, “helped Fox obtain confidential information about bids for rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments,” according to the Associated Press.

Lopez was subsequently granted acquittal by a judge after the 2023 jury ruling. However, an appeals court reinstated the convictions in July, bringing the case back into the forefront.

It seems that prosecutors are now waving the white flag. Per the AP, prosecutors told the Supreme Court that “dismissal of this criminal case is in the interests of justice,” and they are therefore asking the case be sent back to a lower court to consider a motion to dismiss. Prosecutors did not offer any reasoning for the sudden change of heart.

“The charges were baseless from the start, and I have fought for five years to clear my name,” Lopez said in a statement.

Reading between the lines, however, it seems that some of the Trump administration’s recent statutes may have played a role in prosecutors giving up on the case. As the AP notes, the federal government has significantly cut a section of the Justice Department responsible for fraud and corruption cases against public officials. Additionally, “Trump previously paused a statute that prohibits people or companies operating in the U.S. from giving money or gifts to officials in other countries to win or retain deals,” which would seem to apply directly to this case.

Just last year, former ESPN president John Skipper — having testified under oath during the 2023 case — reiterated his belief that Fox was awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups despite ESPN offering FIFA more money. “We knew we were dealing with a corrupt organization. FIFA is a corrupt organization. FIFA regards itself almost as outside the law,” Skipper said in 2024.

Fox was awarded a no-bid contract to air the upcoming 2026 World Cup after the 2022 tournament in Qatar had to be moved from summer to winter to avoid the sweltering heat. FIFA has yet to award U.S. broadcast rights for the 2030 World Cup.