NEW YORK: A former accountant of Argentinian media dealer TyC has told the FIFAGate trial in New York of details in a ledger he kept of bribes paid to former South American football bosses.

José Eladio Rodriguez said that his distribution duties for Torneos y Competencias included paying bribes to former Brazilian football presidents José Maria Marin and Ricardo Teixeira as well as the current CBF supremo Marco Polo Del Nero.

Rodriguez was giving evidence at the continuing trial of Marin, Manuel Burga (ex-Peru FA president) and Juan Angel Napout (Paraguayan former head of South American confederation CONMEBOL).

All three have denied corruption charges in a trial which has heard evidence of widespread bribery surrounding commercial rights as well as allegations concerning the Qatar 2022 World Cup award.

The court has heard repreated evidence of how multiple multi-millioon bribes were paid over the years to South American football directors including, in particular, the late Julio Grondona. He was long-time head of the Argentinian federation as well as senior vice-president of FIFA and its finance committee chairman at the time of his death in 2014.

The court references to Del Nero were of particular interest because he has been allowed by world federation FIFA and its ethics committee to remain in position despite having been indicted two years ago (along with Teixeira) by the United States Justice Department.

Rodriguez said that Marin and Del Nero together received $4.8m between 2013 and 2014 in payments related to rights for the Copa Libertadores Cup ($1.8m) and Copa America ($3m).

He also said that by using companies in the Cayman Islands and the Netherlands, TyC could buy CONMEBOL tournament rights at bargain prices and resell at a premium to TV Globo. The difference was distributed in brbes.

Rodriguez had entered into a plea bargain in April 2017 with the US DoJ, returned $675,000 to the US Treasury and agreed to testify to avoid prosecution.

One juror has been released from the trial for continually appearing to fall asleep during the hearings.

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