Azcárraga steps down as Televisa chief executive amid US soccer investigation

Emilio Azcárraga has taken a time off of absence from his position arsenic main executive of Televisa because he is being investigated by nan U.S. Department of Justice connected a FIFA-related issue

MEXICO CITY -- Emilio Azcárraga has stepped down arsenic main executive of Televisa because he is being investigated by nan U.S. Department of Justice because of a FIFA-related issue, nan institution informed successful its 3rd 4th study to Mexico’s banal market.

The 56-year-old Azcárraga took a time off of absence “with contiguous effect” from nan position he's held since nan decease of his same-name begetter successful 1997.

Televisa, nan world's largest shaper of Spanish content, said successful nan study this week that it decided connected Aug. 30 nan departure of Azcárraga and it was “still cooperating pinch nan investigation.”

Last year, Televisa settled a suit against it by investors successful nan United States who accused it of bribing FIFA officials to get broadcasting authorities for nan 2018, 2022, 2026 and 2030 World Cups.

The latest announcement deed nan company's stock, which suffered an 8.65% nonaccomplishment successful nan first hours of Friday trading.

In 2017, Alejandro Burzaco testified that Televisa, alongside Brazilian media elephantine Globo, teamed pinch a trading patient to make a $15 cardinal bribe to a FIFA executive to thief them unafraid broadcasting authorities to nan World Cups of 2026 and 2030.

Burzaco, a cardinal witnesser astatine a U.S. bribery trial, testified that nan woody was struck pinch long-time FIFA finance committee president Julio Grondona astatine a 2013 gathering successful Zurich.

Back then, Televisa denied immoderate wrongdoing successful really it obtained nan broadcasting authorities for those World Cups.

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