Edwin Oviedo, president of the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), officially spoke out on Sunday about his alleged links with Antonio Camayo and also about the accusations of handing out tickets and trips to the 2018 World Cup to magistrates in exchange for favors in the judicial field.
"I met Mr. Camayo and his family 30 years ago but we lost contact for a good while. We resumed a cordial relationship years ago. As is public knowledge, we coincided in processions of the Lord of Muruhuay and I participated in family meetings... I never had any suspicion of the suspicions that are attributed to him today. In fact, when we got back in touch, Antonio Camayo was a recognized and award-winning successful businessman," he said.
"I categorically deny that this relationship led to any inappropriate act on my part. I regret the unauthorized use of my name by anyone and under any circumstances to discuss matters that were not within my knowledge. Upon hearing the 'CNM Audios," I have discovered that Antonio Camayo used my name and our friendship for purposes that I do not share at all," he stated.
In the three-page letter, Edwin Oviedo denies all the accusations against him and assures that Antonio Camayo has misused his name and that his telephone conversation with the questioned judge Cesar Hinostroza was only friendly and that he hopes that the media will continue to disseminate audios in which he is mentioned to demonstrate that he always acted ethically and without personal interests, using the Peruvian Football Federation for this purpose.
"In fact, among the countless authorities with whom I have spoken and shared socially, Supreme Judge Cesar Hinostroza is one of the people I could have talked to on the phone in these circumstances. I hope that the press publishes as soon as possible any new audio in which my name is mentioned or in which my voice appears so that it is completely clear that, although I always tried to handle myself with cordiality in the situations described above, I committed no improper acts in any circumstance."
The head of the FPF promised to resign irrevocably from his position if the Judiciary finds him guilty of the cases he is currently accused of.
Oviedo's letter also highlights his trajectory at the helm of the FPF, which includes the modernization of Peruvian football, the relaunching of the Peruvian National Team and its qualification for the 2018 World Cup, as well as the obtaining of the hosting rights for the U-17 World Cup in 2019, among other achievements.