U.S. Probe Puts South American Marketing Deal In Doubt

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - South America’s football federation might try to annul its contract with Datisa if the sports marketing company cannot meet its obligations for the current Copa America and the next three editions of the tournament, the federation’s treasurer said.

U.S. investigators have frozen the firm’s bank accounts as part of a probe into alleged corruption in football.

Ending the contract might not be easy because Datisa has already sold some of the marketing and broadcasting rights to third parties such as Coca-Cola, America Movil’s mobile phone company Claro and Mexican television company Televisa he said.

“These are delicate issues and our lawyers are working out what happens next,” Carlos Chavez, the treasurer of CONMEBOL, said in an interview in Chile, the host nation of the current Copa America.