Senior FIFA officials indicted on corruption charges

US indicts 14 officials as Swiss authorities announce criminal investigation into 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

 

Swiss authorities have arrested six leading FIFA-linked officials in Zurich on racketeering and bribery charges brought by the United States and announced they have opened a criminal case in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
The arrested officials are among 14 people named in a 47-count indictment that was unsealed in federal court in New York City on Wednesday.
Among those charged in the indictment are Jeffrey Webb and Jack Warner - the current and former presidents of CONCACAF (the continental confederation under FIFA headquartered in the US).

"The defendants also include US and South American sports marketing executives who are alleged to have systematically paid and agreed to pay well over $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments," the US Justice Department said in a statement.
“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States,” said US Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
FIFA officials are in Switzerland for the FIFA Congress as the body gets ready to elect  its next president. FIFA President Sepp Blatter was not among the men arrested, FIFA spokesperson Walter de Gregorio told the Associated Press.
World Cup investigation

FIFA Elections

Football's world governing body is set to hold its Congress on Friday where the next FIFA president is due to be elected. Current president Sepp Blatter is widely expected to win the polls - and a fifth term in the office - with Jordan's Prince Ali al-Hussein the only person standing against him in the elections. Luis Figo and Michael van Praag withdrew just days before the election.

Separate to the US indictment, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) issued a statement saying it has "opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 Football World Cups".
The OAG said it has seized data and documents from FIFA's IT systems on Wednesday as part of its investigation.
"It is suspected that irregularities occurred in the allocation of the FIFA World Cups of 2018 and 2022," the OAG statement said.
"The OAG and the Swiss Federal Criminal Police will be questioning 10 persons who took part in voting on the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups as members of the Executive Committee in 2010."
The US is expected to seek extradition of the officials who have been arrested.
Al Jazeera's sports correspondent Andy Richardson, reporting from London, said it was too early to know what the ramifications of the operation in Zurich may be on football's governing body. He added that FIFA and the officials were surprised by the timing of the raid.