Police arrested FIFA officials early on Wednesday in Switzerland for extradition to the United States where they are to face corruption charges.
Local police did not want to go into details, speaking only of “various measures,” according to the SDA news agency.
The New York Times said the arrests were carried out as officials from football’s world governing body were gathered at the Baur au Lac hotel ahead of their annual congress on Friday when the authorities raided the premises.
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The charges they face include racketeering and money laundering in connection with alleged corruption in FIFA including World Cup bids and broadcasting deals, the report quoted law enforcement officials as saying.
Those detained included Eduardo Li, president of the Costa Rican football federation, the New York Times said.
Prosecutors were to unseal an indictment against several FIFA officials, including some not in Zurich, the report said, citing unnamed officials.
They included Jeffrey Webb, president of the Cayman Islands football association and FIFA vice president, Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay, another FIFA vice president and former president of South America’s football association, and Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, a ex-vice president of FIFA and president of the Caribbean Football Union.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice issued a statement about the arrests. It includes detail that those arrested were detained under suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and other perks. It also clarifies that these issues are long standing.
It reads:
Bern. By order of the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), six soccer officials were arrested in Zurich today (Wednesday) and detained pending extradition. The US authorities suspect them of having received bribes totaling in the USD millions.
The six soccer functionaries were arrested today in Zurich by the Zurich Cantonal Police . The FOJ’s 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 functionaries – delegates of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organizations – totaling more than USD 100 million. In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America. According to the US request, these crimes were agreed and prepared in the US, and payments were carried out via US banks.
Questioning of detainees
The Zurich Cantonal Police will question the detainees today on behalf of the FOJ regarding the US request for their arrest. A simplified procedure will apply for wanted persons who agree to their immediate extradition. The FOJ can immediately approve their extradition to the US and order its execution. However, if a wanted person opposes their extradition, the FOJ will invite the US to submit a formal extradition request within the deadline of 40 days specified in the bilateral extradition treaty.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Did i say it would be completely clean? Or did i saw that it would be better should the current executives be replaced after a series of them being trialed for corruption?
Justin Mahon
Guest
That's a shame. It was a cracking event. The link between your boycott and events overnight is a tenuous one :-)
TahDan
Roar Guru
One might say the same thing about the Catholic Church and other hideously depraved institutions global... but to suggest that means we should some how not be outraged at the depths of their depravity is odd in the extreme. You might as well tell people to just forgive the global banking institutions that wrecked the economy with what was essentially gambling because "we're not all without sin." It's a cute throw away line, but try telling the survivors of the holocaust to just not cast any stones because "hey, none of us a perfect"
Jack
Guest
Global corporations that have zero corruption? Well it's hard to say, but I'd argue Microsoft has been a genuine force for good purely as a result Bill Gates and the incredible work the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has done. Yes, I'm aware he no longer runs the company, but his wealth and philanthropy are intrinsically linked to his creation and long term management of the company. So let me ask you, who has been a greater force for good in the world, Bill Gates or Sepp Blatter, the man who is supporting the wholesale murder of slave workers in Qatar at a rate that is projected to hit 4000 by the time of the World Cup. An honest answer please. See, what you don't seem to appreciate Fuss is that just because some corruption may be inevitable isn't a great reason to just throw in the towel and give up on the human race.
The artist formerly known as Punter
Guest
Exactly as cm says Kaks. Corruption is unavoidable but what we want is that they can't be as blatantly corrupt as they are now & blatantly contempt as they are now. This is the best we can hope for. Unfortunately, as the great man Springsteen once sung, 'poor man wanna be rich, rich man wants to be king & a king ain't satisfy till it rules everything'.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@Kaks Can you kindly name 1 global corporation, or 1 Government that is totally clean of corruption. Please. Just 1.
FUIL
Guest
@Kaks Can you kindly name 1 global corporation, or 1 Government that is totally clean of corruption. Please. Just 1.
cm
Guest
Fuss gets carried away a little but it's never been that simple kaks, not ever. Corruption will always exist, more so in international organizations with billions of dollars at stake. It comes out not through the natural course of justice but when a party or parties with enough clout are aggrieved. Im sure any corruption will die down for a bit. But itvwontbtake long. It starts with the junkets. Expenses paid trips. If FIFA gets rid of those I might concede.
Outlier
Guest
Please excuse my typo I meant Russia 2018.
Outlier
Guest
I am not an apologist for FIFA corruption but the reality is that all this is probably going down caus of Russia 2022 and the Western countries being upset at being alienated. Most of these world tournaments bidding processes have always involved bribery. The old countries could always maintain control until FIFA decided to give everyone one vote. This sort of scandal will never be publicized in rugby or cricket until Western countries find that they are being screwed out of hosting opportunities because the poor countries figure out that by voting together they can marginalize the privileged. I do agree with Fuzz that all this is just politics, precisely like how David Cameron is a supposedly a majority leader even though he only got 36% of the vote. Nobody will complain about this though because the conservatives lol after the interests of the privileged.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Fuss, pardon my french, by what the f@&k are you waffling on about this time and what does it have to do with FIFA and corruption? To even suggest that kicking out corrupt executives and replacing them with new executives - after the corrupt executives are sentenced and the new executives see they wont get away with any more corruption - wont change anything is laughable!
BigAl
Guest
Huh? What planet do you live on?
Justin Mahon
Guest
U.S. Has domestic law allowing prosecution of foreign nationals. Many countries don't.
Justin Mahon
Guest
Politics, by definition, is simply the exercise of power in social contexts. FIFA, parliament - it's all politics. It even exists in your family. Politics is a human as any other manifestation of our culture.
Jack
Guest
Did you really just say that? Yes foreign policy remains a fairly remorseless business at times, but if you think US foreign policy is "medieval" in its cruelty then you're quite delusional. As for ISIS etc, ironically they're actually rather modern. It's just they ape the worst aspects of medieval savagery to give themselves a greater sense of authenticity. But are you suggesting that THAT'S the standard FIFA should be held to? ISIS? Well, they do have a bit in common I'll grant you, but it's not exactly a high bar is it? Progress isn't perfectly linear, but if you're seriously suggesting we've come nowhere, I'll ask you this, are you aware what British law did to homosexuals in the 19th century? I invite you to look at what the law would have done to you if you happened to sway that way. Then of course there a things like legal pedophilia, state sanctioned torture for confessions over petty crimes, imprisonment for poverty... As I said, you keep up the good fight to deny people rights and pushing against those that think things can get better, it sounds terribly fulfilling.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"By your logic humanity should never have developed moral norms above medieval savagery." We haven't developed norms above medieval savagery. Review the US Govt sanctioned torture that was implement by the CIA in the past 10 years. You can't have missed the daily atrocities of ISIS, Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab. Open your eyes. Read what's going on in the world.
Jack
Guest
Mate you are just making things worse and worse. This line of reasoning is just so pathetic it's beyond words. Of course it will change! By your logic humanity should never have developed moral norms above medieval savagery. It's apologists like you that didn't want to support universal suffrage or fight slavery because "this is just the way things are". It's a cop out and frankly your defence of FIFA is disgusting
cm
Guest
From the statement: criminal proceedings have 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”. Fifa spokesperson said that today, the cups will still go ahead in Russia in Qatar. But left the door open for tomorrow.
cm
Guest
Some of it happened in new York.
SM
Guest
The Americans aren't 'ordering' the Swiss to do anything. They are two separate investigations. https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-57391.html