FIFA Officials Held On $150m Corruption Charges

Seven top FIFA officials have been arrested in Switzerland over allegations they were involved in a racket involving bribes adding up to more than $150m (£96m).
Swiss authorities detained the 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.
Swiss authorities have since raided FIFA's headquarters in the city, seizing documents, and say they have opened criminal proceedings in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

FIFA's spokesman has said that a planned congress and presidential election 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 US Department of Justice said it involved a 24-year scheme during which the suspects had allegedly enriched "themselves through the corruption of international soccer".
A DoJ statement said: "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 FIFA executives arrested are Jeffrey Webb, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel and José Maria Marin.
Former FIFA executives on the indictment are Jack Warner, former FIFA Vice President, and Nicolas Leoz, former FIFA executive committee member and South American Football Confederation president.
In addition, former CONCACAF General Secretary and FIFA executive committee member Charles Blazer, Daryll Warner and Daryan Warner, the sons of Jack Warner, and José Hawilla, an executive at a Brazilian sports firm, have already pleaded guilty to US charges.
US attorney general Loretta Lynch said: "The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States.
"It 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."

The DoJ statement came as US authorities raided the headquarters of Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football in Miami, Florida.

The arrests of the FIFA officials took place after more than a dozen plain-clothed Swiss police officers arrived unannounced at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich.
The FIFA officials were in Switzerland ahead of an election which was expected to see FIFA President Sepp Blatter reinstated for a fifth term.
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.

FIFA spokesman Walter De Gregorio said Sepp Blatter "was not exactly dancing around his office", but was relaxed.
He said: "It is a hard time for us. But this is good for FIFA. It confirms that we are on the right track. It hurts. It's not easy. But it's the right way to go."
Qatar's stock market dropped 2.6% after the news of the investigation broke.
:: Correction: In an earlier report we suggested that Thai official, Worawi Makudi, had been arrested in connection with an FBI investigation. We now understand Mr Makudi is not among the FIFA officials arrested.