Rupert Murdoch’s media empire is under the spotlight.

As detailed by the Guardian’s Oliver Laughland and Jon Swaine, bribes for the rights to televise football were allegedly paid with the “agreement and support” of senior executives at 21st Century Fox, as documents and testimony forming parts of the corruption scandal engulfing FIFA placed the executives in meetings with corrupt officials.

Three men were named in a previously unreported court filing:

• Carlos Martinez, chief executive of Fox Networks in Latin America
• Hernan Lopez, former head of Fox International Channels
• James Ganley, former chief operating officer at Fox Pan American Sports

The court filing, which was detailed by the United States Department of Justice and shielded the identities of certain organisations and individuals, alleged that Martinez, Lopez, and Ganley were involved in a bribery-for-broadcasting-rights scheme. Prosecutors said multimillion-dollar payments helped T&T Sports Marketing Limited obtain the lucrative rights to the Copa Libertadores, which is the South American equivalent of the Champions League.

T&T Sports Marketing Limited – an affiliate of Torneos y Competencias CA, an Argentinian sports marketing company that admitted to paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to a high-ranking FIFA official – was listed as a subsidiary by 21st Century Fox in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Government documents showed its investment in the company stretches back to 2002.

Torneos y Competencias CA entered into a four-year deferred prosecution in 2016, agreeing to over $112.8 million in forfeiture and criminal penalties, while agreeing to cooperate fully with the government’s ongoing investigation. At the time, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that “Torneos paid the bribes and kickbacks with the agreement and support of the U.S. broadcasting company affiliates and their representatives, including three high-ranking officials.”

Fox Sports declared it “did not not participate in any wrongdoing” and is “vigorously defending” the complaint.

Lopez’s lawyers stated: “Mr. Lopez built his entire career on a foundation of respect and integrity, and he never authorised or was aware of any improper payments on his watch.”

Ganley’s lawyers claimed: “Mr. Ganley has a well-earned reputation as a highly accomplished and ethical business executive. He has never been involved in any wrongdoing, and has never been accused of wrongdoing. Any contention to the contrary is flatly false.”

Meanwhile, the Walt Disney Company is set to acquire 21st Century Fox for approximately $52.4 billion in stock.

The stage is set for the next phase of the Champions League following Monday’s draw in Nyon, Switzerland.

There will be some mouthwatering matchups, with Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid highlighting the round of 16, and Chelsea and Barcelona set to revive a rivalry that’s been dormant for five years.

Here are the top storylines that emerged from the round of 16 draw:

Chelsea, Barcelona to reignite fiery rivalry

Barcelona’s reward for winning its group-stage match is a date with a familiar foe, as the Catalan side will get reacquainted with Chelsea in the round of 16.

The rivalry between the clubs goes back almost 20 years, when the Premier League side first qualified for the Champions League in 1999. But it was their clash in 2009 that had Chelsea players fuming after a series of penalty shouts were ignored by match official Tom Henning Ovrebo, who was confronted by an irate Didier Drogba. “It’s a f—ing disgrace,” the Ivorian yelled, and was subsequently banned for three matches.

Yet, perhaps the most memorable moment occurred in the last meeting, five years ago, when Fernando Torres’ dramatic winner helped secure Chelsea’s place in the Champions League final and triggered an outburst from match commentator Gary Neville.

The two-leg encounter will also mark a return to the Camp Nou for Spanish internationals Cesc Fabregas and Pedro.

PSG can’t catch a break in round of 16

Paris Saint-Germain will face yet another epic test when Unai Emery’s men take on defending Champions League titleholder Real Madrid a year after Barcelona’s stunning come-from-behind victory in the round of 16.

Despite the difficult draw, headlined by Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, officials from the French side have been positive as the club attempts to atone for last season’s collapse.

“The team will be ready,” Emery said, according to Jonathan Johnson of ESPN FC. “We will show how great this team is and that we are at the level of those who can win the Champions League.”

There’s no doubt, though, that PSG would have preferred an easier matchup in the first phase of the knockout rounds considering the team’s insatiable hunger to win the Champions League.

Aside from the high-profile bout, speculation over Neymar’s future is likely to dominate headlines in the buildup to the first leg in February following reports linking the Brazilian with a future transfer to Real Madrid.

Doesn’t get much easier for Manchester City

The bookies’ favourite to win the Champions League was handed one of the most forgiving draws of the round of 16, as Manchester City was paired with FC Basel.

On the heels of City’s derby victory over Manchester United, its streak of good luck continued Monday, as the Premier League side managed to avoid difficult pairings with Bayern Munich, Juventus, Sevilla, FC Porto, and Real Madrid.

Manager Pep Guardiola won’t let his side overlook the challenge that awaits it in Switzerland, especially after last season’s matchup with AS Monaco, fuelled by the emergence of teenage prodigy Kylian Mbappe, resulted in the defending Ligue 1 champion upsetting City over two legs.

Uncharted territory

Three of the five English teams that progressed to the round of 16 face the difficult challenge of conquering the unknown.

Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham will be pitted against teams that they’ve never encountered in a competitive match, with clashes against FC Basel, Sevilla, and Juventus, respectively, awaiting the Premier League clubs.

Tottenham has arguably the most difficult matchup of the five English teams in the knockout phase, while Manchester United will be tasked with getting past a Sevilla side that bowed out of the Champions League last term after a narrow loss to Leicester City.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

AC Milan would do well to follow Manchester United’s example and treat the Europa League with utmost priority, explained club general manager Marco Fassone.

The Red Devils switched gears late in the 2016-17 season, choosing to focus on qualifying for the next Champions League by winning the Europa League instead of trying to fight for a top-four spot in the Premier League. Even though United finished fifth last season, Jose Mourinho’s side qualified for the next edition of Europe’s elite club tournament, and remain still in contention.

Milan sits seventh in Serie A, 14 points behind leader Internazionale, and Fassone figures the club would be wise to try to follow United’s path, too.

“Obviously Manchester United are an example that we want to bear in mind,” Fassone told RAI Radio, as quoted by ESPN FC. “(The Europa League is) the only trophy that we’re lacking in the cabinet, and then if you consider where we are in the league, we want to give it a try.

“We know there are teams who are better equipped than we are, but let’s not forget also that when the Europa League restarts in February, (new head coach Gennaro) Gattuso’s ideas will have had time to bed in.”

Milan have a round of 32 date with Ludogorets set for Feb. 15 before hosting the Bulgarian outfit at the San Siro on Feb. 22. It begins a long and trying path to the final, which could see the Italian outfit square off against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Villarreal, Arsenal, OGC Nice, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, or Napoli by the end.

But if the Rossoneri fail to procure a Champions League spot and instead settle for the Europa League again, the club might have to sell next summer.

“Qualifying for the Europa League would mean a deficit of €30 million on our financial plans and this would mean having €30 million less in the transfer market,” Fassone explained. “As a result, we would maybe also have to think about selling a player to increase our budget.”

Ten days after a remarkably drab World Cup draw, football fans got a more significant dose of excitement when Monday’s Champions League last-16 matchups were revealed.

It wasn’t a fun afternoon for every party involved, however, and Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery stands out among those unenthused by the draw, since defeat by Real Madrid could swiftly lead to his sacking.

The pressure’s on Emery

On the heels of three Europa League titles on the trot with Sevilla, the Basque manager moved to PSG to do what his predecessor Laurent Blanc could not: Guide the club to continental success.

Bounced from the tournament at the quarter-final stage in four successive seasons, PSG’s first campaign under Emery’s tutelage saw the capital club draw Barcelona in the last-16. After a 4-0 first-leg victory, Les Parisiens suffered one of the most memorable shock defeats in Champions League history, a 6-1 loss at the Camp Nou. PSG’s fluid attack and smothering press from the first leg mysteriously disappeared. Emery’s charges already faced a nearly insurmountable deficit in the latter stages, then conceded twice more in injury time.

Emery bore the brunt of the responsibility, and rightly so, though club chairman and chief executive Nasser Al-Khelaifi was quick to support his manager. “Everyone was saying he is the best coach in the world after the first leg. He has not become the worst after the second,” Al-Khelaifi offered.

“I have already had lengthy conversations with (Emery). He has qualities that we believe in. He has my full support. We are going to speak with him about the changes that will be needed during the offseason.”

A penchant for expeditious change

While those words may have snuffed out reports of a search for Emery’s successor, Al-Khelaifi has proved to be reactionary in his decisions since taking over the club in 2011. The Qatari businessman then introduced a five-year plan for success that included appointing former PSG attacker Leonardo as director of football.

However, Montpellier pipped PSG for a shock Ligue 1 title in the 2011-12 season as the capital club slumped to a Europa League group stage dismissal and bowed out of both domestic cups. In the following transfer window, the club lured the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marco Verratti, Thiago Silva, and Lucas Moura to the Parc des Princes, and success was immediate. PSG won four Ligue 1 titles on the bounce and both the Coupe de la Ligue and the Coupe de France in three consecutive campaigns, giving France’s top flight an unenviable reputation as a one-club league.

Though domestically assertive, the one crown that continued to escape PSG was the Champions League, and with the influx of resources from Al-Khelaifi’s cash-rich Qatar Sports Investments group, there were no excuses.

Al-Khelaifi displayed his knee-jerk instincts a year later when the club stumbled without Ibrahimovic, losing out on a fifth successive league title to Monaco. Patrick Kluivert’s tenure as Olivier Letang’s replacement ended in less than a year, and the club appointed Antero Henrique. The Portuguese director’s decade-plus at FC Porto yielded success both domestically and in the Champions League, and Al-Khelaifi brought the backroom savant to the capital to replicate it at PSG.

No excuses for Emery

In the Champions League, fate and fortune can have as much of a bearing as quality. A fortuitous round of 16 draw can help a team’s odds, but eventually, as the adage goes, “you have to beat the best to be the best.”

For Emery, a two-legged defeat to twice-defending Champions League winner Real Madrid could result in an unceremonious pink slip, especially in light of the way PSG bowed out of the competition last year.

With the additions of the two most expensive footballers of all time, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, and after capturing Group B honours ahead of perennial continental power Bayern Munich by virtue of a staggering plus-21 goal differential, Emery is out of excuses.

If Emery was dubbed a European specialist while with Sevilla, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has snatched the title from his Spanish counterpart. Zidane’s first two seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu resulted in two continental crowns, and although bookmakers have pegged PSG as second favourites to capture a maiden Champions League, few would be surprised if Emery’s charges again slumped to defeat against a La Liga behemoth. It doesn’t help that Emery has never won at Real’s famed ground, with nine defeats and a draw to show for his efforts.

A desire to become a part of footballing aristocracy

Considering football’s tradition of managerial sackings following votes of confidence from a club’s brass, Al-Khelaifi’s words of support for Emery take on a less reassuring tone.

Reports suggest the club has already short-listed former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique as Emery’s successor. Max Allegri, Antonio Conte, Diego Simeone, and Jose Mourinho have all been linked with the post as well, and despite Al-Khelaifi’s assurances, another Champions League flop would likely end in Emery’s dismissal.

“We are determined to push forward. As I have always said, our project is a long-term one. We know the path to the Champions League is long for those clubs trying to challenge the established hierarchy,” Al-Khelaifi said.

For Paris Saint-Germain, completing that long-term project has become an immediate need. The Valentine’s Day first-leg clash at the Bernabeu marks a meeting between football royalty and its nouveau riche – the kind of club Al-Khelaifi wants PSG to become, and the one it is now. If Emery can’t fulfill those demands, and quickly, it’s likely that Al-Khelaifi will look elsewhere.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)