Eduardo Li, the former president of Costa Rica’s soccer association, pleaded guilty to racketeering and corruption charges on Friday, becoming the 18th defendant to be publicly convicted as part of the United States’ criminal prosecutions involving FIFA, the international governing body of soccer.
Appearing in federal court in Brooklyn, Mr. Li admitted to having accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes that traveled through American bank accounts. He negotiated those bribes in connection with awarding media and marketing contracts for soccer matches, including World Cup qualifiers and international friendlies played by the Costa Rican national team.
Mr.