Amsterdam & Partners LLP Gets Major Win for CONMEBOL in Florida Antitrust Litigation

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), the governing body for professional soccer in South America, has been dismissed from a major antitrust litigation in Miami brought by GolTV, Inc. and Global Sports Partners LLP (the "Plaintiffs").

The Plaintiffs ? television broadcasting and sports marketing companies controlled by Uruguayan Francisco "Paco" Casal ? filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in October 2016, claiming that they were denied broadcast rights to certain CONMEBOL tournaments as a consequence of alleged bribes and kickbacks to former CONMEBOL officials.  CONMEBOL sought dismissal on the grounds that it is not subject to the jurisdiction of the federal court in Miami.

The Court correctly concluded that any wrongful activity by former CONMEBOL officials in the United States cannot be attributed to CONMEBOL, says lawyer Andrew Durkovic, partner at Amsterdam & Partners LLP, lead counsel for CONMEBOL. 

"CONMEBOL the entity, along with its member associations, clubs and players throughout South America, were the true victims of the FIFA-gate corruption scandal," said Durkovic. "The bad actors promoted their own financial self-interest, directly adverse to CONMEBOL, and any attempt to profit in the aftermath of their corruption is nothing short of shameful." 

The lawsuit claims that the Plaintiffs suffered injury amounting to "at least hundreds of millions of dollars," and that they should be awarded treble damages in the litigation.  The remaining defendants will challenge the substantive validity of the Plaintiffs' allegations in the months ahead.

CONMEBOL was defended in the litigation by Amsterdam & Partners LLP, an international law firm with offices in Washington, DC and London, and by Miami-based litigation specialists Carey Rodriguez Milian Gonya, LLP.  Learn more at https://amsterdamandpartners.com.

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