A former judge who led Guatemala’s soccer federation has become the first person sentenced in the US in the Fifa world football corruption scandal.<br /><br />“For the time being I cannot make a statement.”<br /><br />63-year-old Hector Trujillo pleaded guilty earlier in the year to conspiracy and pocketing almost 150,000 euros in bribes to steer sports marketing contracts to the federation.<br /><br />U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen said it was money “that should have been used to build soccer fields in poor neighborhoods” or buy uniforms for young players.<br /><br />He was sentenced to eight months in prison and ordered to pay 350,000 euros in damages.<br /><br />Trujillo asked to be allowed to return to Guatemala without serving any prison time, saying he had already suffered enough in the nearly two years spent in the United States.<br /><br />Chen, however, said that would send the “wrong message” to others participating in what U.S. prosecutors have called a pervasive culture of corruption in sport.<br /><br />Trujillo is among at least 42 people and entities charged in a U.S. probe into the payment of more than $200 million of bribes and kickbacks to soccer officials, in exchange for marketing and broadcast rights.<br />
