Agustín Lozano and his ‘scheme’ to reward the clubs that supported him and punish those who opposed him

Agustín Lozanopresident of the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), was arrested last Thursday, November 7 during operation ‘Los Galácticos del Fútbol’ by order of Judge Richard Concepción Carhuancho, in response to a request from the prosecutor specializing in organized crime, Juan Orihuela Legonia. Lozano Saavedra is identified as the leader of an alleged criminal organization within the FPF, involved in at least 14 illegal acts, including the questioned contract for the transfer of transmission rights to the Chilean company 1190Sportsthe diversion of federation funds to ensure his continuity in office for two terms and the use of institution resources for the benefit of associates and departmental directors.

The president of the FPF would have implemented a strategy of incentives and retaliation towards the clubs based on their position regarding their management. According to the statements of several managers before the Prosecutor’s Office, Agustín Lozano economically favored to the teams that supported his decisions, while he applied sanctions to those that showed resistance. Joel Raffo Olcese (director of the FPF and president of Sporting Cristal), declared the following:

“All income that comes from FIFA and Conmebol enters the FPF and the FPF distributes them. There are also X subsidies, given the impact of the pandemic, Conmebol gave the FPF a quantity of funds and the FPF distributed those funds to the League 1 clubs, that I am aware of, to pay the salaries of soccer players, so that these people are not left without income,” said Raffo Olcese. In relation to the soccer team that he presided over, added: “The only amount that we have received (like Sporting Cristal) for infrastructure investment purposes in 2023, it was a $500,000 infrastructure bond, among other aspects.”

YOU CAN SEE: FPF executives: Agustín Lozano negotiated a contract behind closed doors

According to the Organized Crime Prosecutor’s Office, in charge of ‘Los Galácticos del Fútbol’ casea key piece of this system was the management of the broadcast rights of the matches, which Lozano handed over to the Chilean company 1190Sports through a process that simulated being a tender. As some clubs expressed their rejection of this agreement, the FPF, under the direction of Lozano, conditioned their participation in the championships organized by the federation and international institutions such as Conmebol and FIFA, demanding that they recognize the authority of the FPF over the rights audiovisuals.

In the tax document to which La República had access, it is also detailed that resources from entities such as FIFA and Conmebol were used by Lozano to ‘reward’ clubs that were loyal to his management. The ‘bonuses’ and ‘advances’ distributed by the FPF would have become a Agustín Lozano’s control toolwith which he ensured support between the teams through economic benefits, while some other clubs critical of his management could face restrictions or possible administrative sanctions.

Agustín Lozano ‘arranged’ a contract with 1190 Sports to broadcast matches

According to prosecutor Juan Orihuela, Agustín Lozano, along with the 13 involved in the investigation, would have directed an operation to transfer the broadcasting rights of FPF matches to the Chilean company 1190 Sports, owned by David Belmar Torres, favoring illegally to said company. The implementation of this plan was entrusted to the Television Rights Commission of the FPF, in which directors such as Joel Raffo Olcese, Jean Robillard Ibárcena, Gisella Mandriotti, Raúl Bao García and Rolando Bellido Aedo participated, all under the coordination of Lush.

YOU CAN SEE: FPF: Agustín Lozano “arranged” contract with 1190 Sports to broadcast matches

Orihuela also pointed out that the family bond between Joel Raffo Olcese, member of the FPF television commission, and Diego Delgado Raffo, representative of the Chilean company Prisma SpA, was decisive in facilitating the award of the contract to 1190 Sports. Delgado Raffo was the one who managed the contact with the Chilean company, thus consolidating a network of personal interests within the federation that would have been key in the selection and hiring of 1190 Sports.

The reasons why AgustÃn Lozano was detained, according to the Prosecutor’s Office

Agustín Lozano was arrested on suspicion of leading a criminal network within the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) since 2018. The Prosecutor’s Office accuses him of multiple crimes to favor the company 1190 Sports, affecting League 1 and other Peruvian football organizations. .

The arrest of Agustín Lozano was due to the following actions attributed to the president of the FPF, according to judicial sources:

1. Instrumentalization of the board of directors: He led the FPF in the periods 2019-2021 and 2022-2025, using his positions for crimes such as fraud in the administration of legal entities, corruption, coercion and money laundering.
2. Illicit disposition of the assets of the FPF: Ordered the general secretary to deliver FPF funds to League 1 clubs and departmental leagues, using subordinate areas of finance and accounting.
3. Conflict of interest in the contract with 1190 Sports: Gave instructions to implement a contract for the benefit of 1190 Sports, violating the FPF statutes and Conmebol and FIFA regulations.
4. Appointment of strategic personnel: He placed trusted personnel in key positions, such as the general secretary and heads of finance and accounting, to ensure the success of his “criminal plan.”
5. Illegal creation of the competitions management: Established this address to modify the regulations of League 1 2023 and sanction clubs that opposed the contract with 1190 Sports.
6. Manipulation in the bidding for TV rights: Favored 1190 Sports by hiring the company Prisma, represented by Diego Fernando Raffo, with family ties within the FPF.
7. Signing of the contract with 1190 Sports despite the conflict of interest: He signed the contract together with the general secretary Jean Robillard, knowing that there was a conflict of interest.

PJ admitted Agustín Lozano to the appeal process

Judge Richard Concepcion admitted theappeal filed by Agustín Lozanopresident of the Peruvian Football Federation, and others involved in the “Los Galácticos del Fútbol” case. Through this resource, Lozano seeksannul preliminary arrest warrantagainst him. The magistrate accepted the appeal based on the fact that it met the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code, and therefore issued a resolution for the Criminal Appeals Chamber to review the case.

In addition, on November 9, the reading and extraction of data from cell phones ofAgustín Lozanoformer president of the FPF, in a procedure ordered by the Third Specialized Supranational Corporate Prosecutor against Organized Crime. The activity also included Sabrina MartÃn Zamalloa, secretary of the FPF, Jean Marce, former secretary, and Joel Raffo, president of the Sporting Cristal club.

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