Despite the power they may possess, people that are on high on the food chain in sport are still human. This means that they aren't immune to anything. They are able to get into triouble. Unfortunately, most tend to get into some form of legal trouble. There are a few examples to prove this case.
It's official, the trial of Luis Rubiales is over. The former Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) chief has been found guilty of sexually assaulting Women’s World Cup winner, Jennifer Hermoso, by kissing her on the lips during the on-field medal ceremony following Spain’s victory in 2023.
The Spanish High Court set a fine of $11 270 (R207 111) – to be paid as R385 daily instalments across 18-months – but acquitted Rubiales of coercion. Prosecutors had been seeking a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for the 47-year-old but the ruling sees him avoid any jail time.
The judge opted not to sentence Rubiales to prison as he believed the assault – which he called a, "sporadic act" despite also deeming it, "always reprehensible" – to be of lesser intensity according to Spanish law as there was no intimidation or violence.
Rubiales was also ordered to pay $3 130 (R57 520) in compensation to Hermoso, an amount the judge said was proportionate due to the, "moral damages" that had been done and the fact that it was seen by thousands of people in the stadium and thousands watching on television.
The ruling also banned Rubiales from going within a 200-meter (roughly 656 feet) radius of Hermoso and from communicating with her for one year. Rubiales’ three co-defendants – who were former members of RFEF (one of whom is ex-women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda) and had been accused of attempting to coerce Hermoso into saying that she had consented to the kiss – were also acquitted.
Over this past week, Wadie Jary, the former president of the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF), has been sentenced to four years in prison on corruption charges.
A spokesperson for the country's sports ministry told that the conviction related to an, "unlawful contract between the FTF and a technical director" during Jary's time in office. The 52-year-old's lawyers say he will appeal against the verdict.
Jary was first elected head of the FTF in 2012 and faced multiple allegations of impropriety during his reign, including match-fixing, financial misconduct and money laundering, all of which he denied.
Local media also reported on disputes between Jary and the sports ministry, while in January 2021 he received a four-year ban from the Tunisian National Olympic Committee after it claimed he had, "breached national and international Olympic ethics codes."
Despite that ban, Jary was elected to the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) executive committee just two months later. He remained on the the committee while awaiting trial, with CAF general secretary, Veron Mosengo-Omba, saying last year that the organisation was, "not protecting crooks" and would make a decision on Jary once a verdict was delivered by the Tunisian legal system.
After the charges against him emerged, Jary was taken into custody in October 2023.
Last year, South African Football Association (SAFA) boss, Danny Jordaan, was arrested. Hawks spokesperson, Col. Katlego Mogale, said warrants of arrests were issued for Jordaan, Safa CEO, Gronie Hluyo and a 46-year-old businessman.
"The allegations are that between 2014 and 2018, the president of SAFA used the organisation's resources for his personal gain, including hiring a private security company for his personal protection and a public relations company, without authorisation from the Safa board."
Mogale said a serious commercial crime investigation which was probing the allegations executed search and seizure warrants on 8 March at the SAFA offices, where electronic gadgets and files were seized, leading to the arrests.
Jordaan is expected to appear in the Palm Ridge magistrate's court soon, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane confirmed.
In 2022, French prosecutors demanded prison time for Bernard Laporte, a towering figure in French rugby, for corruption and influence-peddling in a high-profile trial making waves only a year before France hosted the World Cup.
The 58-year-old former France coach is accused of favouritism in awarding a shirt sponsor contract for the national side to a close friend, Mohed Altrad, the billionaire owner of Top 14 side, Montpellier.
As the trial neared it's close, prosecutors said they were seeking a three-year prison sentence for Laporte, 58, of which he should serve one behind bars and the two others on probation. They asked for his suspected accomplice Altrad to be handed the same punishment.
In addition, the prosecution called for a two-year ban on Laporte having any role in French rugby and on Altrad running a business. In practice in France, one year terms for such offences are usually converted to house arrest or the wearing of an electronic bracelet without the person going to prison.
According to the charges, which his defence said were, "trumped up", Laporte carried out illegal influence-peddling and passive corruption, mostly for the benefit of Altrad.
The two men's friendship and business links are at the heart of the case, which goes back to February 2017 when they signed a deal under which Laporte, head of the French Rugby Federation (FFR), agreed to appear in Altrad group conferences and sold his image reproduction rights, in return for €180 000.
While that sum was indeed paid to Laporte, prosecutors claim that he never actually provided the services he signed up for. He did, however, make several public statements backing Altrad and, in March 2017, signed a €1.8-million deal with the businessman making his eponymous firm the first-ever sponsor to appear on the French national team's jerseys.
Laporte was further accused of intervening with French rugby's federal disciplinary commission which reduced a fine against an Altrad company to €20 000 after a call from Laporte, from an original €70 000.
While prosecutors see this and several more incidents as proof of illicit favouritism, Laporte himself has claimed there was no, "cause-effect relationship."
Five officials are in the dock, also including Claude Atcher, who was recently suspended as managing director of the 2023 World Cup organisation and FFR vice-president Serge Simon.
In December 2022, a French court found Laporte guilty of corruption, fining him €75 000 and sentencing him to a suspended two years' imprisonment. He has stated that he will, "self-suspend" from rugby administration but that he will appeal. In 2023, he was appointed director of rugby of Montpellier.
In 2023, Former Formula One (F1) supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, received a non-custodial sentence after pleading guilty in a UK court to charges of failing to declare a multi-million-pound trust in Singapore to the British tax authorities.
The 92-year-old told London's Southwark Crown court: "I plead guilty." He was handed a 17-month sentence suspended for two years. Ecclestone was charged last year over an alleged failure to declare more than £400 million (R9 279 052 000) of overseas assets to the UK government in 2015, and was due to stand trial in November.
He had previously told tax officials that he didn't have any undeclared trusts in or outside the UK. However, prosecutor, Richard Wright, told the court: "That answer was untrue or misleading. Mr. Ecclestone was not entirely clear on how ownership of the accounts in question were structured. He therefore did not know whether it was liable for tax."
"He now accepts that some tax is due in relation to these matters," added Wright. The court heard Ecclestone had agreed a civil settlement of £652 634 836 with tax authorities.
The British businessman, whose financial net worth has been estimated at some $3 billion, is widely credited with transforming F1, commercially. His control of the sport developed from the sale of television rights in the 1970's and he was chief executive of the Formula One Group until January 2017.
The flamboyant former second-hand car salesman ran F1 with an iron fist for more than four decades, building it into a global empire with a cut-glass brand. However, his career has not been without controversy.
Ecclestone paid $100 million to German authorities to end a high-profile bribery trial in 2014, which was linked to the sale of Formula One's rights in 2006 and 2007. Although he had faced a possible 10-year prison sentence if found guilty, many in the F1 paddock remained loyal.
"F1 is what it is thanks to Bernie Ecclestone, to the way he has built this sport over the past 35 years," Christian Horner, team principal at Red Bull, said at the time. "I think that without him we would have big problems."
All this proves one thing: power definitely corrupts people. It can affect them in any manner. It can range from money to dodgy business dealings. They aren't bulletproof. The fact that think that they can be that delusional can be shocking. No matter how powerful they may be, they're unable to escape the law.
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