The president of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), Alejandro Domínguez, faces an internal ethics complaint for allegedly receiving millions of dollars from funds recovered in the FIFAGate scandal that shook world football in 2015. The information was published by The New York Times, which cited three people familiar with the matter.
According to the complaint, filed more than a year ago with FIFA's ethics committee, Domínguez and another senior Conmebol official, whose name was not disclosed, allegedly obtained more than $5 million from amounts the confederation recovered after securing the return of sums lost in corruption schemes. The money was reportedly taken from bank accounts that were under the control of former Conmebol employees involved in FIFAGate.
Domínguez, who is also one of FIFA's eight vice presidents, took over the Conmebol presidency in 2016 after his predecessor, Paraguayan Juan Ángel Napout, was arrested and convicted in the scandal. FIFAGate led to a global crisis in football, with more than 40 senior officials implicated, mainly from the Concacaf and Conmebol confederations.
The United States government brought the case to trial in 2017, resulting in prominent convictions, such as those of Napout and Brazilian José María Marín. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice added new charges against the Full Play Group and others, accused of paying bribes for broadcast rights to the Copa Libertadores.
The complaint against Domínguez comes to light just one month before the start of the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the United States. FIFA, according to The New York Times, is aware of the accusation but has not yet officially commented.