IT’S BEEN ALMOST three years since the first arrests were made in Fifa’s corruption and bribery scandal, but the trial is ongoing.
The latter took a peculiar turn today when American musician and actor Kevin Jonas – he of Jonas Brothers fame – was called to the stand at the US Federal Court in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors were attempting to establish that Paraguayan ex-official Juan Angel Napout – who is being accused of money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud – attended a Paul McCartney concert at River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, in 2010.
Napout’s lawyers refuse to acknowledge that the concert ever took place.
Rather than consult McCartney’s team, his official tour dates or even Youtube footage from the date to ascertain that the event did indeed occur, the prosecutors instead called upon Kevin Jonas as a witness.
The power pop star had attended the McCartney concert just two days before his own band, the Jonas Brothers, played the same venue as part of their world tour. He confirmed as much to the court.
“He [McCartney] was performing. We got invited,” Jonas told the court (per Buzzfeed News’ Ken Bensinger). “Any time you get to see Paul McCartney, it’s pretty special.”
The 30-year-old also admitted that he had missed McCartney’s first two songs, blaming traffic. The relevance to this remains unclear.
Before departing the court room, Jonas added that he had no idea who the defendant was, and that he hadn’t seen Napout at the concert.
Kevin Jonas was just called as a witness in the #FIFA trial! #jonasbrothers
— Ken Bensinger (@kenbensinger) December 7, 2017
Formed in 2005, the Jonas Brothers received their big break via Disney Channel original film Camp Rock.
They split in 2013 citing a “deep rift within the band” over “creative differences.”
The42 has just published its first book, Behind The Lines, a collection of some of the year’s best sports stories. Pick up your copy in Eason’s, or order it here today (€10):