The long-running Fifa-ISL corruption case has been referred to the country’s highest court, the Federal Court. The court told the Associated Press that it had opened five separate case files, which will take months to process.
The case concerns the findings of the canton court in Zug that the ISL agency, which distributed Fifa World Cup television rights before going bust in 2001 with debts of $300 million (€229 million), had paid kickbacks to Fifa officials to secure World Cup television rights.
In a 2010 settlement the case, the Zug court allowed the Fifa officials concerned to remain anonymous if they repaid $6.1 million. However, the court later ordered Fifa to publish the dossier identifying the officials.
Fifa said in December that it supported the Zug ruling and would not appeal because the decision corresponded “to the position of Fifa and its president, Joseph S. Blatter, to open the ISL case file.” However, it then delayed the publication of the dossier citing a legal appeal by a party named in it. It was this appeal which has caused the case to be referred to the Federal Court. The court said the appellants’ identities must remain confidential.