FIFA officials arrested on corruption charges as World Cup bids probed

Several top FIFA officials have been arrested in Switzerland over allegations they were involved in a racket involving bribes adding up to more than $150m. Swiss authorities detained seven officials in an early-morning operation in Zurich on suspicion of receiving and paying bribes, the AP news agency reported. The arrests were carried out in order to extradite the officials to the United States, the Swiss government said. Authorities have since raided FIFA’s headquarters in the city, seizing documents, and say they have opened separate criminal proceedings in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

The defendants also include U.S. 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.

U.S. Department of Justice statement

FIFA’s spokesman has said that a planned congress scheduled for this Friday will still go ahead, as will the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The arrests took place in response to a 47-count indictment charging 14 defendants with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies. The U.S. Department of Justice said it involved a 24-year scheme during which the suspects had allegedly enriched “themselves through the corruption of international soccer”. The FIFA executives arrested are Jeffrey Webb, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel and José Maria Marin. Swiss prosecutors later announced that they had opened separate 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”. Ten executive committee members will be questioned over the allegations, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland said, and a number of Swiss bank accounts will be examined.

It is suspected that irregularities occurred in the allocation of the FIFA World Cups of 2018 and 2022. The corresponding unjust enrichment is suspected to have taken place at least partly in Switzerland. There are also suspicions of money laundering through Swiss bank accounts.

Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland

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