ZURICH — At least six soccer officials were arrested and detained by Swiss police on Wednesday pending extradition at the request of U.S. authorities after a raid at a luxury hotel in Zurich.
The U.S. Justice Department is expected to bring federal corruption charges against as many as 14 high-ranking members of world soccer’s governing body Wednesday, following a three-year FBI investigation that could cripple Sepp Blatter’s run for a fifth term as FIFA president.
FIFA governs global soccer, setting the rules for international play and putting on the World Cup. The organization’s revenue has surged under Blatter, hitting $5.7 billion in the four years culminating in the 2014 World Cup, the most-watched television event in history.
During Blatter’s tenure, FIFA has been marred by investigations into embezzlement and bribery. Nonetheless, he had been expected to stand for re-election on Friday.
Swiss authorities, acting on the request of U.S. law enforcement, descended on a tony resort in Zurich overnight to arrest several of those expected to be charged. The officials, who were attending FIFA’s annual meeting, were to be extradited to the U.S., according to The New York Times, which first reported the arrests.
The names of those charged were not released but the charges are said to include wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering, according to the Times. According to CNN, an indictment against the FIFA officials will be unsealed in a New York courtroom.
Blatter was not among the men arrested, FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio told The Associated Press.
“He is not involved at all,” De Gregorio said.
Among those charged include Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands, a FIFA vice president; Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay, an executive committee member who in March was replaced as the head of South American soccer; and Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, a former FIFA vice president who quit the sport in 2011 amid an investigation into vote buying, an unnamed source told Bloomberg News.
The arrests come at a particularly bad time for the beleaguered Blatter, whose 17-year reign as FIFA’s leader has been plagued by charges of corruption, bribery and a lack of transparency.
The selection of Russia to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar for the 2022 tourney brought allegations of vote buying.
Blatter, 79, was investigated but is not expected to be named in the indictment. However, officials told CNN the probe is not complete, leaving open the possibility Blatter could be charged later.
The Justice Department has sweeping authority under federal law to file charges against foreign nationals whose only connection to the country may be a U.S. bank account. U.S. officials could also claim jurisdiction because American companies have paid billions to FIFA for broadcast fees.
FIFA’s size and global reach may also help U.S. officials. The organization, which stages major soccer events such as the World Cup, is richer than most multinational companies, holding more than $1.5 billion in reserve.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in a statement that U.S. authorities suspect the officials arrested on Wednesday of having received or paid bribes totaling millions of dollars and that the crimes were agreed to and prepared in the U.S., and payments carried out via U.S. banks.
The FOJ said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating the individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and now.
“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 (FIFA delegates) and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organizations — totaling more than USD 100 million,” the FOJ statement said. “In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America.”
The Los Angeles Times and Bloomberg News contributed to this report.