MEXICO CITY — Emilio Azcárraga has resigned from his role as chief executive of Televisa due to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice concerning an incident linked to FIFA. This information was disclosed in the company’s quarterly report presented to the Mexican stock market.

The 56-year-old executive took an immediate leave of absence from the position he assumed after the passing of his father, who shared the same name, in 1997.

In the report released this week, Televisa, recognized as the largest producer of Spanish-language content globally, revealed that the decision regarding Azcárraga’s departure was made on August 30. The company also confirmed that it is “still cooperating with the investigation.”


Previously, in the last year, Televisa reached a settlement with U.S. investors who had accused the company of bribing FIFA officials to acquire broadcasting rights for the World Cups scheduled for 2018, 2022, 2026, and 2030. The recent developments led to a decline in the company’s stock, which experienced an approximate 8.65% drop during the initial hours of trading on Friday.

In testimony from 2017, Alejandro Burzaco claimed that Televisa, in collaboration with the Brazilian media giant Globo, partnered with a marketing agency to provide a $15 million bribe to a FIFA executive aimed at securing broadcasting rights for the World Cups of 2026 and 2030. Burzaco, who played a significant role as a witness in a U.S. bribery trial, stated that this arrangement was finalized during a meeting with Julio Grondona, the longstanding chairman of FIFA’s finance committee, in Zurich back in 2013.

At that time, Televisa refuted any allegations of misconduct regarding how it acquired the broadcasting rights to those World Cups.