Rafael Esquivel Explained

Rafael Esquivel
Birth Name:	Rafael Esquivel Melo
Birth Date:	^[1]
Nationality:	Venezuelan
Occupation:	former president of the Venezuelan Football Federation former member of CONMEBOL executive committee

Rafael Esquivel Melo (born 1946/1947) is a Venezuelan former football administrator. He was a member of CONMEBOL executive committee and president of the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF).

Career and arrest

Esquivel was president of the Venezuelan Football Federation from 1988 to 2015.

Esquivel was arrested in May 2015 in Switzerland to face corruption charges in the United States.^[2] He was banned by FIFA Ethics Committee for life.^{[3] [4]}

In March 2016, Esquivel was extradited to the US and pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn Federal Court.^[5] He was released from jail on a US$7 million bond.^[6]

In popular media

Chilean actor Gonzalo Robles portrayed Esquivel in the 2020 Amazon Prime Video original series El Presidente.

Notes and References

1. News: FIFA Corruption Arrests: What We Know So Far. 27 May 2015. SkyNews. 27 May 2015.
2. Web site: Apuzzo. Matt. Schmidt. Michael S.. Rashbaum. William K.. Borden. Sam. FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Blatter Isn't Among Them. New York Times. 27 May 2015.
3. Web site: How the 14 Indicted FIFA Defendants Currently Stand . Ruiz . Rebecca R. . 8 August 2015 . The New York Times . 28 June 2016 .
4. Web site: 2017-11-21 . Three Fifa officials banned from football for life over corruption charges . 2023-03-07 . The Independent . en.
5. Web site: Football: Ex-Conmebol VP Esquivel pleads not guilty in US court over Fifa graft scandal . 9 March 2016 . The Straits Times . 28 June 2016.
6. Web site: U.S. judge allows release of Venezuelan ex-soccer official on bond . McDermid . Brendan . Rosenberg . Mica . 10 March 2016 . Reuters . 28 June 2016 .