Episode Summary In the fifth episode of Amazon Prime’s gripping football corruption drama El Presidente , titled “WMA,” the intricate web of fraud, bribery, and influence surrounding the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal tightens around its central players. The episode shifts focus from the chaotic electioneering of previous episodes to the quiet, calculating machinery of international football governance. “WMA” exposes the shadowy organization that has been pulling the strings all along—a private entity masquerading as a legitimate football authority, where votes are commodities and national federations are mere subsidiaries.
El Presidente S01E05, “WMA,” is not an episode about a goal or a trophy. It is about the spreadsheet behind the trophy. By centering on a fictional-but-all-too-real organization, the show crystallizes its core thesis: in global football, the most dangerous player is not on the pitch—it’s the one with the Wi-Fi password and a shell company in the Caymans. el presidente s01e05 wma
The episode opens with Sergio Jadue (the former president of the Chilean Football Federation and the show’s unreliable narrator) now fully embedded as a cooperating witness for U.S. prosecutors. Through flashbacks, we see how the so-called “WMA” functioned as a shell company designed to launder marketing rights payments from major tournaments. In a tense boardroom scene, Juan Pedro Damiani and Eugenio Figueredo (based on real-life figures) introduce a new “strategic partnership” with a Miami-based sports marketing firm—a move that Jadue realizes is not about football, but about buying silence and votes. Episode Summary In the fifth episode of Amazon
★★★★☆ (4/5) Memorable Quote: “You think FIFA is the problem? FIFA is the jersey. WMA is the body wearing it.” – Sergio Jadue (voiceover) El Presidente S01E05, “WMA,” is not an episode
Meanwhile, (the former CBF president) delivers a masterclass in cynical diplomacy, reminding younger federation members: “This is not football. This is WMA—World Management of Appearances.” The title’s acronym is deliberately left ambiguous, but within the episode’s context, it represents the unholy alliance of money, media, and authoritarian administration.
Director uses cold, fluorescent lighting in all WMA-related scenes, contrasting with the warm, saturated colors of stadium flashbacks—visually separating the beautiful game from the ugly business. The script, by Pablo Andrade , earned praise for making a meeting about amortized broadcasting rights feel like a hostage negotiation.