AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The decision marked an end to a significant part of a broader corruption investigation that rocked the soccer world more than a decade ago.Listen · 5:02 min A judge dismissed two indictments, including one against Hernán López, a former high-ranking executive at Fox responsible for its sports broadcasting business in Latin America.Credit...Brendan Mcdermid/ReutersMay 27, 2026, 3:04 p.m. ETA federal judge on Wednesday dismissed the indictments against two defendants in the government’s long-running probe of corruption in international soccer.The defendants — Hernán López, a former high-ranking executive at Fox responsible for its sports broadcasting business in Latin America, and Full Play Group, an Argentine sports marketing firm — had been convicted by a jury in 2023. That trial helped expose years of bribes paid to officials at FIFA, the nonprofit that governs soccer worldwide, in exchange for rights to tournaments.But in a surprising move last December, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the indictments against both defendants, stating that such a move would be in the “interests of justice.” On Wednesday, Judge Pamela K. Chen of the Eastern District of New York granted that motion in a brief ruling from the bench.Her decision marks the end of a winding saga within the larger prosecution, one that over the past three years saw the convictions of Mr. López and Full Play reversed and reinstated by federal judges before they were ultimately abandoned by the Justice Department.Mr. López and Full Play had been accused of taking part in a scheme to pay bribes in exchange for commercial rights to popular soccer tournaments, including the Copa América and Copa Libertadores. Prosecutors also alleged that Mr. López’s actions helped Fox win lucrative rights to broadcast the World Cup in the United States in 2018, 2022 and 2026.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT