FIFA Restitution Bid Faces Lagos Test

On Thursday October 4, 2018 a New York judge warned FIFA that its requests for tens of millions of dollars in restitution from two former officials convicted of corruption may not pass muster in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in Lagos v. United States. FIFA, the South American Football Confederation, and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF, have argued they were victims of the scheme by the convicted officials, and deserve monetary reparations for losses related to media rights as well as attorneys' fees incurred in connection with the case, among other expenses. The South American Football Confederation is seeking at least $93.7 million, FIFA wants more than $28.6 million and CONCACAF is looking for somewhere between $18.1 and $23.1 million. A large portion of the damages sought are resulting from attorney's fees and investigation costs, which presents issues in light of the Supreme Court's