Argentina cabinet chief wants FIFA probe “to cut to the bone”

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez said on Friday he wants the investigation into the FIFA corruption scandal to “cut to the bone” in order to track alleged bribe money that should have been taxed.

Soccer bosses from across South and Central America were among 16 people charged Thursday with multi million-dollar bribery schemes to win marketing and broadcast rights, in a dismantling of a Latin American soccer network by U.S. prosecutors.

Argentine nationals Jose Luis Meiszner and Eduardo Deluca,former secretaries general of South America’s soccer confederation, were among those charged.

“The state has a public interest in this investigation,” Fernandez told reporters, noting that money paid and received in Argentina is subject to income tax.

“If they are going to investigate, I hope they make the knife cut to the bone in order to find out what happened,” he said.

Fernandez is president of the Quilmes Atletico Club, a team on the outskirts of capital city Buenos Aires, although he has taken leave while serving in the government. The vice president of the team, Andres Meiszner, is the son of Jose Luis.

“I have known Jose Luis (Meiszner) for a long time and I want to believe he has nothing to do with this. But everything has to be investigated,” Fernandez said.

(Reporting by Maximilian Heath)