Daniella Guzman has been suspended by KPRC 2 News, which is Houston's NBC affiliate. Guzman, an Emmy Award-winning news anchor, was reportedly "one of several high-profile figures to accept tickets from the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, the government entity in charge of NRG Stadium," the New York Post reports.
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KPRC has since released a statement regarding the situation.
"We want to disclose a matter this morning involving a staff member at KPRC. The Station is aware of reports alleging that news anchor Daniella Guzman received complimentary tickets to a concert and FIFA World Cup match from the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation," the statement reads.
"We take matters regarding potential conflicts of interest very seriously. Ms. Guzman has been suspended pending the result of a company investigation," the statement added. "You have our assurances that this issue will be investigated thoroughly and fairly."
Guzman reportedly attended the Bruno Mars concert on April 22. She then followed that by attending a June 17 World Cup match between Portugal and the DR Congo. Each of those events was held at NRG Stadium.
KPRC has stated that Guzman's acceptance of tickets was in violation of the station's conflict of interest policy.
"Our station takes journalistic ethics very seriously along with anything that could potentially create even the appearance of a conflict of interest," KPRC-TV General Manager Sean McLaughlin explained to the Texas Voice before her suspension.
The World Cup Is Currently Experiencing a Huge Scandal of Its Own
Guzman's suspension comes at a time when the World Cup finds itself in a precarious position.
"FIFA announced on Tuesday that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together the sale of FIFA's commercial rights - including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing - with the operational delivery of its tournaments," Sky Sports reports.
UEFA, which is the governing body for soccer in Europe, has threatened a boycott if the deal goes ahead.
Both Guzman's and FIFA's incidents come hot on the heels of the latest World Cup. When looking back, this may be the most divisive version of the tournament in history.
