Soccer scandal: FIFA officials indicted in $100M bribery ring

Nine high-ranking soccer officials, including two current vice-presidents of world governing body FIFA, and five sports marketing executives have been indicted on federal corruption charges, U.S. law enforcement officials said on Wednesday. The 47-count indictment unsealed in a federal court in New York charged the defendants with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies as part of a scheme that spanned more than two decades.

[The corruption] spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.

U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch

Meantime, seven FIFA officials, including current FIFA vice president and executive committee member Jeffrey Webb, were arrested by Swiss authorities on Wednesday and detained pending extradition to the United States, the department said. The arrests were made shortly after dawn at a Zurich hotel where officials are staying ahead of this week’s FIFA presidential election. Also arrested was Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, Julio Rocha of Nicaragua, Costas Takkas of Britain, Rafael Esquivel of Venezuela and Jose Maria Marin of Brazil. All seven are connected with the regional confederations of North and South America.

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