Fox Corporation: Réplica y contrarréplica

En atención al derecho de réplica, Código Magenta reproduce a continuación -de manera íntegra- un escrito que Ellis George LLP, despacho que lleva la representación legal de Fox Corporation, solicitó publicar respecto al editorial “El ‘FIFA Fox’ a revisión”, publicado el 20 de mayo de 2025:

Rodrigo Armando Carbajal Monroy
Editorial Director Código Magenta
Torre Aurum, Av Lázaro Cárdenas 435-Piso 2
Larga Poniente, 66266 Monterrey, N.L., México
rcarbajal@magentadigital.com.mx
redes@codigomagenta.com

Ramon Alberto Garza Garcia
Founder, President and CEO
Código Magenta / Cyan Media Lab
Torre Aurum, Av Lázaro Cárdenas 435-Piso 2
Larga Poniente, 66266 Monterrey, N.L., México
ramon@cyanmedialab.com

Re: Retraction Demand re: Fox Corporation and Carlos Martinez To Whom It May Concern: I represent Fox Corporation and write regarding a May 20, 2025 story published on the Codigo Magenta website ⁽¹⁾ titled “El ‘FIFA Fox’ a revisión” (English translation: “The ‘FIFA Fox’ Under Review”). The article contains significant inaccuracies and false statements of fact regarding Fox Corporation (“Fox”) and its executive, Carlos Martinez.

False Statement 1: “Cuando en 2014, Fox Sports México todavía operaba bajo el control de la empresa hoy llamada Fox Corporation…” (English translation: “When in 2014, Fox Sports Mexico was still operating under the control of what is now Fox Corporation…”). This statement, as well as any others in the article making the same allegation, is false and misleading. Fox did not exist in 2014, or at the time of any of the alleged conduct in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York’s FIFA case, and Fox has never controlled or been the operator of Fox Sports Mexico. Any such statements, implications, or suggestions must be retracted and corrected immediately.

False Statement 2: “Un juicio celebrado en 2023 en una corte federal de Nueva York fue concluyente. Los dos ejecutivos de Fox, Hernán López y Carlos Martínez, fueron quienes en nombre de Fox pagaron millones de dólares en sobornos a funcionarios de la Conmebol.” (English translation: “A 2023 trial in a New York federal court was conclusive. The two Fox executives, Hernan Lopez and Carlos Martinez, were the ones who paid millions of dollars in bribes to CONMEBOL officials on behalf of Fox.”).

^{(1) The story may be found at the following url: https://codigomagenta.com.mx/elfa-fox-arevision/.}

Código Magenta
June 9, 2025
Page 2
ELLIS GEORGE LLP

This statement, as well as any others in the article making the same allegations, is false and misleading. Mr. Martinez was acquitted by the jury in the Eastern District of New York’s FIFA case. It is therefore incorrect to say that he committed any of the alleged illegal actions that were the subject of that proceeding. Any such statements, implications, or suggestions must be retracted and corrected immediately.

False Statement 3: “[A]unque Martínez logró evadir la cárcel, lo hizo gracias a una defensa millonaria financiada por la propia Fox Corporation.” (English translation: “[A]lthough Martinez managed to avoid jail, he did so thanks to a multimillion-dollar defense funded by Fox Corporation itself.”).

This statement, as well as any others in the article making the same allegation, is false and misleading. Fox did not pay for Mr. Martinez’s legal defense in the Eastern District’s FIFA case, and any statement, implication, or suggestion in your article that Fox did is false and misleading and must be retracted and corrected immediately.

False Statement 4: “Y el caso incluirá volver a llamar a juicio a Carlos Martínez.” (English translation: “The case will also include retrying Carlos Martínez.”).

This statement, as well as any others in the article making the same allegations, is false and misleading because neither the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Oce for the Eastern District of New York, or any other law enforcement body has appealed Mr. Martinez’s acquittal or otherwise requested to retry his case. Indeed, as you should well know, or would have known with even the simplest research or investigation, there is no such thing as a review of an acquittal in the U.S. legal system because the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government from prosecuting an individual twice for the same conduct (a concept called “double jeopardy”).

Any statement, implication, or suggestion that any law enforcement agency has requested that Mr. Martinez’s criminal proceedings be reopened or that Mr. Martinez faces or could face renewed criminal charges related to the conduct alleged in the Eastern District’s FIFA case is false and misleading and must be retracted and corrected immediately.

False Statement 5: “Con esta reapertura del ‘FIFA Gate’, con especial énfasis en el papel jugado por Fox y sus directivos, los fiscales buscan una decisión del tribunal de circuito que restablezca las condenas o que se ordene un nuevo juicio.” (English translation: “With this reopening of ‘FIFA Gate,’ with particular emphasis on the role played by Fox and his executives, prosecutors are seeking a decision from the circuit court to reinstate the convictions or reschedule a new trial.”). See also “Además, la Fiscalía hizo hincapié en que Fox, la empresa beneficiaria, tiene sede en Estados Unidos y los acusados eran empleados de una compañía estadounidense que era Fox.” (English translation: “Furthermore, the Prosecutor’s Oce emphasized that Fox, the beneficiary company, is based in the United States and the defendants were employees of a U.S. company, Fox.”).

Código Magenta
June 9, 2025
Page 3
ELLIS GEORGE LLP

This statement, as well as any others in the article making the same allegation, is false and misleading. Fox has not received any notice from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Oce for the Eastern District of New York, or any other law enforcement body threatening legal action against Fox or its any of its employees or executives as to the matters referenced in your article. Any such statements, implications, or suggestions must be retracted and corrected immediately.

False Statement 6: Martinez “reapareció con un movimiento inesperado: adquirió el 5% de participación accionaria en las nuevas empresas que controlan la marca Fox Sports México.” (English translation: Martinez “reappeared with an unexpected move: he acquired a 5% stake in the new companies that control the Fox Sports Mexico brand.”) This statement, as well as any others in the article making the same allegation, is false and misleading. Martinez’s ownership stake in Altener S.A. de C.V. (the parent company of Fox Sports Mexico) is documented in the minutes of Altener’s shareholder meetings. As Altener’s majority shareholder, Grupo Lauman and its owner Manuel Arroyo were given ample notice of—and indeed approved—Martinez acquiring his ownership stake. Therefore, it is clear that this was not somehow unknown by Grupo Lauman. Any such statements, implications, or suggestions must be retracted and corrected immediately.

* * *

Fox hereby demands that Codigo Magenta retract and correct the identified statements, and any other statements containing the false and misleading information identified herein, as to (1) this article and (2) any other articles, posts, or other writings by you, your aliates, subsidiaries, or related entities with the false and misleading statements identified herein. Fox expressly reserves all rights and waives none.

Regards,
Katherine A. Petti
Counsel for Fox Corporation

Contrarréplica de Código Magenta

Que las conductas investigadas en el FIFA Gate fueron llevadas a cabo por directivos de “Fox” ha sido confirmado por la propia Fiscalía del Distrito Este de Nueva York, que, al impugnar la sentencia dictada en favor de Hernán López, manifestó lo siguiente: “Uno de los imputados es un medio de los Estados Unidos. Era un ejecutivo de un medio estadounidense, Fox, una empresa de los Estados Unidos, Fox, y el beneficio fue obtenido por Fox, una empresa de los Estados Unidos^[1]”.

Las conductas de Carlos Martínez y de Hernán López investigadas en el FIFA Gate fueron llevadas a cabo mientras éstos eran empleados de Fox International Channels, que, en ese entonces, era una subsidiaria de Twenty-First Century Fox. Ésta, a su vez, estaba controlada por la familia Murdoch, que fue la beneficiaria final de los actos de corrupción llevados a cabo por Carlos Martínez y por Hernán López.

En el año 2019, Twenty-First Century Fox fue fusionada por The Walt Disney Company, por lo que hoy forma parte del grupo corporativo de Disney. Sin embargo, la familia Murdoch acordó con Disney excluir ciertos activos de la fusión, que seguirían siendo controlados por los Murdoch a través de una nueva empresa: Fox Corporation. Fue así como en el año 2019 Fox Corporation se escindió de Twenty-First Century Fox.

Fox Corporation pretende negar su responsabilidad en el FIFA Gate bajo la supuesta justificación de que las empresas que empleaban a Carlos Martínez y a Hernán López fueron vendidas a Disney en el año 2019. Sin embargo, cuando los sobornos investigados fueron pagados, las empresas seguían bajo el control de la familia Murdoch, que hoy controla Fox Corporation.

El equipo directivo actual de Fox Corporation está compuesto por muchas de las mismas personas empleadas por Twenty-First Century Fox durante los sobornos del FIFA Gate. Basta señalar a Carlos Martínez, Justin Lancer y Peter Marco, los cuales son actualmente directivos de Fox Corporation, y lo eran también de 21st Century Fox antes de que la misma fuera vendida a Disney.

La carta de Fox Corporation, al identificar como responsable al actual dueño de Twenty-First Century Fox, pretende responsabilizar a Disney por los sobornos pagados en el FIFA Gate.

Como ya ha sido señalado, la participación de Fox en el FIFA Gate no es una ocurrencia, sino que fue identificada expresamente por la Fiscalía del Distrito Este de Nueva York en una audiencia llevada a cabo el 8 de enero de 2025.

Las referencias al “caso de Martínez y López” se refieren a la causa penal Cr. No. 15-252, en la que Carlos Martínez y Hernán López fueron imputados por su participación en un esquema de corrupción mientras eran empleados de Fox, para beneficiar a Fox. La afirmación de Código Magenta en el sentido de que la Fiscalía ya ha apelado una sentencia dictada en esa causa penal es absolutamente correcta, pues, en efecto, el 8 de enero de 2025 se llevó a cabo una audiencia ante un tribunal de apelación del segundo circuito de los Estados Unidos precisamente para impugnar la sentencia absolutoria dictada en el caso de Hernán López.

^[1] One of the defendants is an American media. It was an American media executive for Fox, an American company, Fox, and the benefit inured to Fox, an American company.