From the Eurosport websitehttps://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/foo ... --sow.htmlFootball - FIFA plunged into crisis as officials are arrested in Zurich
Six football officials were arrested in Zurich on Wednesday and detained pending extradition to the United States over suspected corruption at FIFA, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FCOJ) said in a statement.
By Maxwell Ward
2 hours ago
Eurosport
Football - FIFA plunged into crisis as officials are arrested in Zurich
FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb was one of those arrested
The New York Times said they were high-ranking FIFA officials and were in Switzerland for the FIFA Congress where incumbent Sepp Blatter faces a challenge from Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein in a presidential election on Friday.
The arrests were made by plain-clothed police officers who took room keys from the reception of the five-star Baur Au Lac hotel, where officials were staying, with FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb believed to be among those arrested.
FIFA have stressed that President Sepp Blatter will not be charged, but the timing of this development will come as a major blow to him.
The New York Times, citing anonymous law enforcement officials, said the U.S. federal charges include racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud and span two decades of misconduct in soccer's world governing body.
More than 10 officials were expected to be indicted, but not all were in Zurich, the newspaper reported.
"The US authorities suspect them of having received bribes totalling in the millions (in USD)," said the statement from the Swiss Federal Office of Justice.
"The arrest warrants were issued further to a request by the US authorities. The US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and the present day."
"The bribery suspects, representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms, are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer officials, delegates of FIFA and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organizations, totalling more than $100 million."
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke was at the hotel briefly on Wednesday morning but did not comment on the development.
From the BBChttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-328971572018-22 World Cup bids case
Posted at 10:10
In a separate development, Swiss prosecutors launched a criminal case into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, won by Russia and Qatar respectively.
In a statement, the office of the attorney general of Switzerland said criminal proceedings were opened "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".
It added that "electronic data and documents" were seized on Wednesday at Fifa's headquarters in Zurich.