U.S. authorities are examining payments made by Nike Inc under a 1996 soccer sponsorship deal with Brazil for possible evidence of wrongdoing by the company or others, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Although Nike has not been named or charged with any wrongdoing yet, the company was swept into the corruption scandal that engulfed soccer’s governing body FIFA when a U.S. indictment released last month described apparent kickback payments linked to a landmark 1996 Nike deal in Brazil. The U.S.