A former member of the board of directors of the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), whose identity for obvious reasons is kept confidential, has availed himself of effective collaboration and has delivered key information to the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime on alleged illicit acts attributed to the acting president of the institution, Agustín Lozano Saavedra, and other directors of his intimate environment. In fact, the witness’s statement helps prosecutor Juan Orihuela Legonia to support the request for 36 months of preventive detention for Lozano and other members of the network known as ‘Los Galacticos’.
The aspiring effective collaborator has provided information on the development and execution of the process of transferring the broadcasting rights of League 1 football matches in 2023 to the Chilean company 1190 Sports. Also on the distribution of FPF fund contributions and other economic benefits to football clubs that support the management of the current FPP board. And the modification of the internal regulations to sanction opposing teams. Apart from trips abroad with a delegation made up of people who do not belong to the sports field, subsidized with money from the federation. In all cases, according to the witness, the decisions were made personally by Agustín Lozano.
The manifestations of the effective collaborator have provided knowledge not only of potentially illicit acts, but also the identification of the people who made up Agustín Lozano’s inner circle. The president of the FPF has rejected the accusations of the Prosecutor’s Office and affirms that during the investigation he will demonstrate that all his actions as a leader are transparent and legal.
Among the characters identified by the witness is the former soccer player Juan Carlos La Rosa Llontop, who worked in the minor division and in the under-23 team of the national team, under the direct orders of Lozano, according to the transcript of the witness’ statements. to which La República had access. This is what he said:
“Calín (Juan Carlos) La Rosa is very close to Agustín Lozano, therefore he has access to all areas of the FPF. Even after I left the FPF, investigations have been initiated in which Calín La Rosa is supposedly marketing the FPF’s FUTEC (Football Studies Center) coaching licenses. “I am not aware of the conclusions of this investigation that was being carried out by the internal audit area, or the compliance management of the FPF.”
All the men of lush
The aspiring effective collaborator mentioned that La Rosa played an important role in a contract for the organization of matches for the soccer team in 2022:
“A ten-game contract was signed in the United States with the company AGM (Sports), whose representative is Mr. (Eduardo) Beltramini, at the proposal of Agustín Lozano. Finally, I ended up negotiating it myself. As for Mr. Beltramini, I met him because I saw him arriving at the FPF with the person of Calín La Rosa and Agustín Lozano introduced him to me, and he told me that he has a good proposal to represent us, which consisted of 10 parties in the United States in the period of 2 years. (This) proposal was discussed with Juan Carlos Oblitas and (Antonio) García Pye, who told me that they would have preferred it to have been with the Lions. But they understood that for economic reasons it was convenient.”
The Prosecutor’s witness said that the representative of the AGM Sports company, the Argentine Eduardo Beltramini, confided to him that Lozano’s trusted man, Juan Carlos ‘Calín’ La Rosa, required money from him for a contract with the FPF. This is how he declared it.
“(When I was in the FPF) two games were played in the United States, related to this contract. There were many operational problems with the AGM (Sports) company, such as rivals, number of travelers and sports logistics during friendlies. This being at the end of 2022, approximately, in one of the discussions with Mr. Beltramini, via telephone, he referred to a situation in Lima, in which ‘Calín’ La Rosa asked him for money for having signed the contract, not knowing if “Finally this happened.”
This newspaper called La Rosa several times, but did not receive a response. He will continue to insist.
The hand in the dough
As indicated, the aspiring effective collaborator has acknowledged illegal acts, such as an alleged embezzlement of US$500,000 to the detriment of the FPF. The witness told the Prosecutor’s Office that he had documentary evidence to prove it. He had access to said evidentiary material because he held a management position in the FPF during the management of Agustín Lozano and managers of his closed environment.
However, during the hearing yesterday Tuesday before Judge Richard Concepción Carhuancho, Agustín Lozano denied having attacked the funds and assets of the FPF when he assumed the presidency to replace Edwin Oviedo, in 2018. He indicated that he found a debt of S/50 million and capital losses of S/80 million.
“How is it possible that they tell us that we have embezzled the federation, when my management has been the one that today can demonstrate that we are a federation with consistent economic stability,” Lozano stated at the hearing.
This is what the effective collaborator of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime recognized. It is different from what Lozano said. Mentions alleged mismanagement of money granted by FIFA and Conmebol to the FPF:
“My duties were to manage the operational part of the FPF administration. At the end of 2017 I moved to the position of Minors manager in the sports area, leaving approximately 10 million dollars in cash and bank. From what I know, at the end of 2018, the loss of assets had been considerable, from what I understand the FPF was having a serious liquidity problem. The Administration and Finance manager at that time was Tatiana Ninuma (Aída). I understand that the losses were related to expenses for the World Cup in Russia, expenses incurred on the grounds of the archbishopric in Chaclacayo, as well as expenses in the sports area, for example, tickets, house rental and other logistical expenses. I also have a report signed by me (on the) funds of Conmebol and FIFA, where it is reported on the improper use of 500,000 dollars whose documentation I will send in due course through my defense.
The witness also referred to Rosa Alva Vidal, identified as the alleged operator of Agustín Lozano:
“Rosa Alva had two functions, the first is the Human Resources coordinator and is responsible for processing travel tickets in the FPF, and the one who decides whether to travel is Agustín Lozano. I want to clarify that the tickets that are assigned by contracts for the matches are seen directly by Rosa Alva with Agustín Lozano. These tickets are complimentary and should not be resold. (…) I want to specify that the list was not prepared by me and that I did not have any observations from any other member of the Board of Directors who traveled or from the areas of audit, ethics and compliance or administration and finance. The final list was given to me by Agustín Lozano through his secretary Roxana Bello (Rondón).”
witness for the prosecution
Regarding the contract with the Chilean company 1190 Sports, the former manager, aspiring to be an effective collaborator, offered details of how Lozano and the leaders decided to choose this company to manage the transfer of the rights to broadcast the matches. The witness confirms that the FPF was linked to 1190 Sports through the Chilean company Prisma, represented by Diego Delgado Raffo, cousin of Joel Raffo Olcese. Raffo was a member of the federation committee in charge of finding the company to negotiate the transfer of transmission rights. To secure the contract, 1190 Sports offered money. He said it this way:
“(The bidding rules) were made by Prisma and were reviewed above all by José Carlos Isla (Montaño) and Arturo Ríos (Ibáñez) and approved by the Board of Directors. (…) Because by the month of December 2022 the contract between 1190 Sports and the FPF had not been completed, a solution was sought and 1190 Sports proposed that, by not signing the contract, it cannot make a disbursement of the money from that contract. But they could make a loan with guarantees from sponsor contracts (Adidas and Te Apuesta) with the charge that once the contract is signed, these interests would be returned to the FPF by the company 1190 Sports. Each club signed a commitment to use money that later had to be audited. I do not know if 1190 Sports has returned the interest payment to the FPF, and if in the end the money from that fund has been canceled, because it no longer belonged to the FPF. I want to specify that the Board of Directors (led by Agustín Lozano) approved this loan.”
The effective collaborator knows everything.
