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Fifa officials 'corrupted' football - US officials Fifa officials 'corrupted' football - US prosecutors
(35 minutes later)
Officials from football's world governing body Fifa took bribes totalling hundreds of millions of dollars over more than 20 years to allocate tournaments and rig elections, US law enforcement officials say. Officials from football's world governing body Fifa took millions of dollars in bribes over 20 years to allocate tournaments and rig elections, a US investigation says.
Prosecutors said they had discovered a dozen schemes, including one awarding the 2010 World Cup to South Africa.Prosecutors said they had discovered a dozen schemes, including one awarding the 2010 World Cup to South Africa.
Fourteen people are under indictment. Fourteen people are indicted, seven of whom were held in Zurich on Wednesday.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is not among them. Fifa intends to go ahead with a planned election on Friday. Fifa president Sepp Blatter is not among them. Fifa still intends to hold its presidential election on Friday.
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch was giving details of the US investigation into football's governing body. Swiss prosecutors have also opened a separate investigation into the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.
Seven of the 14 sports officials were arrested in Switzerland on Wednesday morning. 'Over and over'
They are accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m (£97m) over a 24-year period. Those indicted in the US case are accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m (£97m) over a 24-year period.
"This really is the World Cup of fraud and today we are issuing Fifa a red card," said Richard Weber, from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Of the seven officials arrested in Zurich, six are contesting extradition to the US, Swiss authorities say.
Fifa executives "used their positions to solicit bribes," said Ms Lynch. "They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament." Former Fifa vice president Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, who was not one of those held in Switzerland, is accused of soliciting $10m in bribes from South Africa's government over the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.
"They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves," Mr Warner issued a statement saying he was innocent of any charges.
One of those indicted, former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, took $10 million in bribes from the South African government over the 2010 World Cup, the indictment alleged. If convicted on racketeering charges, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.
When details of the indictment first emerged, Mr Warner said he was innocent and said "the actions of Fifa no longer concern me". Spelling out details of the US case, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said some Fifa executives had "used their positions to solicit bribes. They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament.
The Swiss have also opened a separate investigation into the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar. "They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves."
Swiss police said they would question 10 Fifa executive committee members who participated in the votes that selected the two countries. She alleged that some indicted individuals "engaged in bribery to decide who would televise games, where the games would be held and who would run the organisation overseeing organised soccer worldwide".
This is the "beginning, not the end, of the investigation", Acting US Attorney Kelly Currie said. Ms Lynch said the upcoming Fifa election had played no part in the timing of the indictments, and that although Fifa had a "lot of soul searching to do", US law officials were not looking to have "an impact on the decisions" Fifa need to make going forward.
Fifa earlier said it welcomed the process and said the vote to elect its next president would go ahead on Friday. However, Acting US Attorney for New York eastern district Kelly Currie warned this was the "beginning, not the end, of the investigation".
The US officials said there were no allegations that any football matches were affected by the alleged corruption.
Football's untouchable 'dark prince' - Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Switzerland
Many have wondered how Sepp Blatter can have been in charge of Fifa for so long amid so many reports of corruption and yet remain, apparently, untouched.
One Swiss newspaper jokingly called him "the dark prince of football, the godfather, Don Blatterone" - but no inquiry has ever revealed proof of his involvement in corruption.
Some old friends describe Mr Blatter as down-to-earth and open. Others who have worked with him say he is a man who resents opposition, pointing to the swift departure of Fifa colleagues who dared to question him.
What emerges, finally, is a man who both critics and supporters say cannot imagine his life without Fifa, a man whose tenure as president has outlasted three marriages.
Sepp Blatter: The man who won't give up
Fifa earlier said it welcomed the process and insisted that the vote to elect its next president would go ahead on Friday.
In the second case, Swiss prosecutors opened 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".
Swiss police said they would question 10 Fifa executive committee members who participated in the votes that selected Russia and Qatar in December 2010.
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said the investigation would not affect its hosting of the 2018 event, telling Associated Press: "We've got nothing to hide."
The Russian foreign ministry added that the US investigation appeared to be an "illegal extraterritorial application" of US law.
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