US COURT CONVICTS TWO FIFA OFFICIALS IN CORRUPTION TRIAL

A US jury has found two former South American football officials guilty in a case that helped to expose a culture of corruption in the sport's global governing body, FIFA.

The panel returned guilty verdicts against Jose Maria Marin, former head of Brazil’s Football Confederation and Juan Angel Napout, former head of Paraguayan football, on the sixth day of deliberations following a seven-week trial in New York.

Marin, 85, was convicted on six of seven counts, and Napout, 59, on three out of five, in connection with bestowing television and marketing rights to soccer matches.

But the jury in the Brooklyn federal court said they had not yet reached consensus on former Peru boss Manuel Burga, who faces one count of racketeering conspiracy. They will return to resume deliberations on Tuesday, after the Christmas holiday.

US government prosecutors indicted 42 officials and marketing executives, and detailed 92 alleged crimes to the tune of $200 million, but so far only these three defendants have faced trial.

Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Deliberations about the guilt or innocence of another man will continue next week.