14 Fifa officials indicted over £65m Bribery case - 6 Arrested by FBI - Includes Vice President

• Six football officials were arrested on Wednesday by Swiss police
  FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb among those detained in 6am raid
  Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner is among 14 indicted
  Nine of those on FBI indictment list are FIFA officials
  Case involves bribes 'totaling more than $100m (£65m)' linked to deals in North and Latin American dating back to the 1990s
  President of world governing body Blatter not among men arrested
  Blatter's presidential opponent Prince Ali: 'This is a sad day for football'
  FIFA will hold a news conference at 10am BST

Six football officials including FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb were arrested and detained after a raid at a luxury hotel by Swiss police on Wednesday pending extradition at the request of US authorities.

The case involves bribes 'totaling more than $100m (£65m)' linked to commercial deals dating back to the 1990s for football tournaments in the United States and Latin America.

The officials are in Switzerland for the FIFA congress and presidential election, where Sepp Blatter is widely expected to win a fifth term at the helm of the governing body of world football.

Blatter was not among the men arrested, FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio said, but vice president Webb was.

Among the other FIFA members arrested in the dawn raid were Eugenio Figueredo, the Uruguayan football executive, who was due to stand down from the world governing body after Friday election.


The third known arrest was Eduardo Li, President of the Costa Rica Football Association. Li was led from the hotel via a side entrance with a sheet covering his head.

He is about to join the FIFA Executive Committee.

The indictment, seen by the New York Times, listed 14 names. The football officials charged are Webb, Figueredo, Li, Jack Warner, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel, Jose Maria Marin and Nicolas Leoz.

Charges are also expected against the sports marketing executives Alejandro Burzaco, Aaron Davidson, Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis.

The authorities have also charged Jose Marguiles as an 'intermediary who facilitated illegal payments.'

All the charges are understood to be based on deals done in the United States dating back to the 1990s and involve charges of racketeering and money laundering.

Much of the evidence has come from Chuck Blazer, a former member of the FIFA executive committee who turned 'supergrass' for the FBI.

Blazer wore a wire tap to the London Olympic Games on behalf of the FBI in order to record meetings with colleagues.

The American publications New York Times, Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal were tipped off about the raid by the FBI.

The FBI raiding party arrived at the hotel at 6am and the last arrest was of Li, who was led from the building with a sheet over his head at 6.45am.

Blatter is scheduled to attend a meeting of the Confederation of African Football at 10:30am local time in a different Zurich hotel. Precautions are being made to ensure Blatter is not mobbed by the media.

FIFA will hold a press conference about the arrests at 10am BST at their headquarters on the outskirts of Zurich.

The FBI will hold a press conference at 3.30pm British time.

FIFA Presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, reacting to the news, said: 'Today is a sad day for football. Clearly this is a developing story, the details of which are still emerging. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.'

Swiss legal authorities have announced that criminal proceedings have opened "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".

Electronic data and documents have been seized from Fifa's head office in Zurich.

Some sources among officials from the 209 associations who are gathering in Zurich ahead of Friday's Congress said Blatter is actively lobbying to have Friday's election postponed due to the crisis, though that will be opposed by Prince Ali.

"It would seem as though Sepp Blatter is pushing to have the election put back, perhaps we will know more about that once we hear more from Fifa in the next hour but this is a significant development.

"Sepp Blatter was a firm favourite but this could be a complete game changer. What Blatter has always used in his defence is that he doesn't appoint these people but ultimately many people will say this comes back to the head of the organisation and there will be many questions for him."

Blatter is as dirty as they come....everyone knows it.

Hopefully this whole ridiculous farce of a Winter world cup can be binned once and for all.

the US department of Justice has released a statement to the media saying 14 defendants have been charged with "racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies" over a 24-year period.

Four individual defendants and two corporate defendants have pleaded guilty.

Acting US attorney Kelly T Currie said: "After decades of what the indictment alleges to be brazen corruption, organised international soccer needs a new start.

"It needs a new chance for its governing institutions to provide honest oversight and support of a sport that is beloved across the world, increasingly so here in the United States.

"Let me be clear: this indictment is not the final chapter in our investigation."

Here's a round-up of what we have discovered from Fifa's news conference so far:

Fifa insists Friday's presidential election will go ahead as planned.
Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio: "The president (Sepp Blatter) is not involved, how can you say he has to step down? He is the president, if he is re-elected then he is the president for the next four years."
De Gregorio confirms the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will go ahead as planned in Russia and Qatar.
De Gregorio: "While the timing may not obviously be the best, Fifa welcomes this process and co-operates fully."
"It is certainly a difficult moment for Fifa," acknowledges De Gregorio.
"You don't believe me but I say again this for Fifa is good," he adds. "It's not good in terms of image and reputation but in terms of cleaning up this is good."

It was when Blatter gave an interview claiming that the FIFA was a non profit organisation that red flags should have gone up. That and this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlJEt2KU33I

Bribes also took, allegedly, for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted in South Africa.

Hopefully FIFA will be binned, sooner rather than later, along with 2018 and 2022.

It has been confirmed that there will be a fresh inquiry into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Corruption did, it has been stated during the news conference, 'extend to Fifa presidential campaigns'.
Total of 47 charges dating back 24 years.
Arrests come as Switzerland opens its own inquiry. Swiss federal prosecutors open criminal case.
Defendants have surrendered $150m in illegal profits.
US banks and wiring used in bribery

Over the moon this lots been caught, how can Qatar get a World Cup, stunk from day one, I only wish Blatter had been one of those arrested, a corrupt dinosaur, who has been nothing but a burden on World football, since he was elected.

Lets have a breakaway organisation and bin Fifa and Blatter.

Blatter must surely resign having overseen such a high level of institutional corruption, it is impossible for him to carry on his position.

Word of advice for Fifa in future, don't give a false and CORRUPT interpretation of an American's report it will come back and bite you royally on the arse.

They have long said FIFA fear the States because the FBI will dig really deep into their s***. Looks like they came after them in the end. God bless America!

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:They have long said FIFA fear the States because the FBI will dig really deep into their s***. Looks like they came after them in the end. God bless America!

I can't understand the logic behind Fifa's thinking, we'll get in an US attorney who was a federal investigator for the Eliot Spitzer scandal and then twist every single thing he said so we look above board.

The yanks for all there faults do have an uncanny ability to smell a rat not that it took a genius to realise what had been going on here.

Apparently this US attorney who's assisting the FBI in their investigation is known as a ruthless prosecutor lets hope so, nail them to the stars and stripes, good job our country wasn't investigating them, they'd have been given community service.

Duty281 wrote:Bribes also took, allegedly, for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted in South Africa.

Hopefully FIFA will be binned, sooner rather than later, along with 2018 and 2022.

Because the other alternatives were so inviting

Any location that didn't sell Vuvuzela's was a more inviting proposition.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:Any location that didn't sell Vuvuzela's was a more inviting proposition.

I suppose if colloquial mannerisms are more important than structure, preparation etc... then this probably explains why England didn't get 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PBCu6PBSXo&itct=CDUQpDAYAiITCIfXzqC24sUCFUefHAodRAQAsFIcQXN0b24gdmlsbGEgc3RhZGl1bSBpbnZhc2lvbg%3D%3D&gl=ZA&client=mv-google&hl=en-GB

Whether you like to admit it or not Raf the Vuvuzela single handedly ruined the 2010 world cup, made watching games unbearable.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:

The yanks for all there faults do have an uncanny ability to smell a rat not that it took a genius to realise what had been going on here.

The yanks call a spade a spade... sometimes anyway.  Crooks are crooks.

FIFA has been pandered to for too long.  Hints and suspicions and rumours and distrust.  I'm sure the Americans were helped out by intelligence gatherers in Europe and elsewhere, but countries in Europe itself needed to lose their diplomatic language.  Crooks are crooks.  FIFA is a 'mafia' organisation running riot - it's own off the cuff rules, it's own dark alleys, its own propaganda soldiers.  Governments in Europe needed to be vocal.  These Large Sporting Organisations rely on the cooperation of governments across the world to hold their big money events, they needed to be told that Pompous Arrogant Autocratic Corruption would not be tolerated.  

Countries that didn't like what was going on should have voted with their feet and boycotted the organisation and its competitions until sanity and transparency was achieved.  If you work within and under the cloak of FIFA then you have and are conspiring with it.  No WC is worth it.  Countries should have registered their disloyalty to the Royals of the organisation by being disloyal - and declaring they would not compete.

Hammersmith harrier wrote:Whether you like to admit it or not Raf the Vuvuzela single handedly ruined the 2010 world cup, made watching games unbearable.

Couldn't care less to be honest. I'm more of a union and cricket man. If I could consistently convince someone to risk their car by driving to Ellis Park, I'd basically live at Ellis Park.
Football may be the #1 sport in SA, but not even god watches it at the stadium if it's not the Soweto derby

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:They have long said FIFA fear the States because the FBI will dig really deep into their s***. Looks like they came after them in the end. God bless America!

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:They have long said FIFA fear the States because the FBI will dig really deep into their s***. Looks like they came after them in the end. God bless America!

This is only the beginning Dolph. I practiced criminal defense law for a number of years here in the States.(Although haven't practice in a few years) I can tell you these guys they arrested are going to be leaned on to turn rat, and when facing 20 or 30 years of time they will squeal. I would not doubt if all the top Fifa guys including Blatter are eventually indicted. A state prosecution and Fed prosecution is a completely different matter. Once the Feds get their hooks in they almost never fail to get convictions and to do real damage to criminal organization like FIFA. They will turn many if not all of these first level informants into rats to go all the way up the chain. Rackateering instantly kicks in the RICO statutes that were used to roll the mafia up in the 70s and 80s. (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) What RICO does is that if the Feds prove that the institution of FIFA is a corrupt organization they can more easily take out Blatter without having to produce a smoking gun of Blatter taking a bribe or giving kickbacks. By his affiliation in a endemically corrupt organization as its leader he could go away for the rest of his life and have any assets that they can find confiscated. I would be very surprised if this investigation doesn't lead to Blatter going away for the rest of his life.

I wouldn't be so sure of that Socal, i'm fairly certain that Blatter is beyond the jurisdiction of the FBI, what is important is that all those indicted so far have an association with the US. FIFA as a non US organisation I don't believe will come under RICO.

kingraf wrote:

Duty281 wrote:Bribes also took, allegedly, for the 2010 World Cup to be hosted in South Africa.

Hopefully FIFA will be binned, sooner rather than later, along with 2018 and 2022.

Because the other alternatives were so inviting

Which tournament are you referring to? I think Russia and Qatar would have been bottom of my list to host the 2018/2022 World Cups - I think the English and Australian bids were the best, respectively.

As for 2010, the bids were all a bit meh. Probably worked out OK in the end, though.

I also expect FIFA to sink millions into this case delaying it for as long as possible, Russia will definitely happen before it's wrapped up, Blatter might also die before he has chance to be convicted.

How the Frak does he get away with these things? He's either corrupt or incompetence personified either ought to see him out on his ear

Those who vote Blatter in every 4 years, must be all on a good backhander, the FIFA president didn't know their was any bribes going on, of course he didn't

Hammersmith harrier wrote:I wouldn't be so sure of that Socal, i'm fairly certain that Blatter is beyond the jurisdiction of the FBI, what is important is that all those indicted so far have an association with the US. FIFA as a non US organisation I don't believe will come under RICO.

Yes but the association can be very small, that is the point of RICO. FIFA does have an association with USA, and if it is a criminally corrupt leader of that organization then a case can be made. Already it is pretty clear that 4 of the defendants have made a deal. 4 people have already plead guilty and this was announced. What this means is that the Feds had them dead to rights, and their lawyers got them to cop and based on how helpful they are to the feds they could get anything from a reduced sentence to being let to walk. That is the part of it that if I was Blatter I would be the most afraid of. 4 pople have already plead guilty before the indictments are made public. That usually, almost always means that they turned rat and the conviction is there so the Feds can hold it over their head if they decide to back out later and not talk or not be helpful.

It isn't just that Sepp Blatter has to worry about America, he will probably have to not travel to any country that has an extradition treaty with the US once thing is done and dusted. The prosecutor says that this is only the beginning and the fact that 4 people have already plead guilty should make Blatter stain his shorts.

Sepp's association is that he runs a crime racket that does business in America. Just like Escobar in Colombia, he doesn't himself have to visit or have any other direct association with America.

Blatter getting revoted is a no brainer. He insisted on an African World Cup, and under him, Fifa has done a lot for the game on the continent. And a lot for the continent as a whole. As a result, he has a monolithic African vote. Same goes with Asia. From there on he just has to sneak the odd vote here or there, and he has lifetime presidency.

instability on the African continent must be Blatter's favourite time of the year, as it means one African country will inevitably become two, and as such one sure vote will become two.

Don't be so free with your opinions guys.  He IS watching you know.  And noting down Believers and Non Believers:

I was so happy when i saw the news early morning today, I can still remember the disbelief on the day back in 2010 when we failed in our bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
It was not the fact that we lost, it was the fact we received 1 vote (disregarding our own vote), despite our fantastic bid.
All the commentators said we had no chance with Blatter as president and I was so very disappointed when they were proved right.
I hope the 14 people who have been indicted all rat on Blatter and his cronies and they get their comeuppance.
I believe both Russian and Qatari bids should be nulled and void.

However by the time these two investigations are complete I don't think there will be enough time to reorganize the Russian World Cup so may have to take that one on the chin.
The Qatari 2022 bid is another matter, there would be several countries able to host a World Cup at relatively short notive.
My major problem with the Qatari bid is the near slave labour they use, the conditions they work, live and sleep in.
1200 dead so far with estimates of up to 6000 by the project completion.
6000!
6000 peoples lives.
If FIFA decides to continue with the Qatari tournament I would advise to boycott the event.

Wellington wrote:
My major problem with the Qatari bid is the near slave labour they use, the conditions they work, live and sleep in.
1200 dead so far with estimates of up to 6000 by the project completion.
6000!
6000 peoples lives.

It's a disgrace. And for football - for football Princes to mingle in style, and monumental business glad-handing get-togethers, and cucumber sandwich meetings, and multi-million deal sideshows concerning sponsors and stars and merchandise and money and more money and oil and ships and luxury watches and Mercs and Rolls Royce's.
1200 dead.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/27/fifa-arrests-corruption-Kumquat-lynch-chuck-blazer

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/27/fifa-officials-world-cup-fraud-us-prosecutors

Funny, but I actually think Figo is the only man looking for power in FIFA has done anything to call any of this out. Blatter going won't end it. It needs more.

I was so happy yesterday when i saw the early morning news, I can still remember the disbelief on the day back in 2010 when we failed in our bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
It was not the fact that we lost, it was the fact we received 1 vote (disregarding our own vote), despite our fantastic bid.
All the commentators said we had no chance with Blatter as president and I was so very disappointed when they were proved right.
I hope the 14 people who have been indicted all rat on Blatter and his cronies and they get their comeuppance.

I believe both Russian and Qatari bids should be nulled and void.
However by the time these two investigations are complete I don't think there will be enough time to reorganize the Russian World Cup so may have to take that one on the chin.
The Qatari 2022 bid is another matter, there would be several countries able to host a World Cup at with a minimum 4 year notice.

My major problem with the Qatari bid is the near slave labour they use, the conditions they work, live and sleep in.
1200 dead so far with estimates of up to 6000 by the project completion. 6000!
6000 peoples lives. That statistic alone should see that particular tournament cancelled.
If FIFA decides to continue with the Qatari tournament I would advise England to boycott the event.

Oh and where has Blatter gone?..... Not been seen in two day despite the biggest ever crisis at FIFA.

Wellington wrote:

Oh and where has Blatter gone?..... Not been seen in two day despite the biggest ever crisis at FIFA.

Wiring up his Doomsday Machine. If he's going down he's gonna take half the world with him. Damn those pesky kids!

Any organisation which pays no taxes and has >$1 billion in the coffer should be looked at with suspicion.

UEFA has a "plan" for if Blatter gets voted in

Annexation?

potentially. Heard countries were looking out pulling out the WC

I liked Greg Dyke's comments that Blatter should resign, be voted out or made to leave "some other way." Erm, what are you suggesting Greg, assassination?

No, no.... be serious Dave.

No, you'd need to invite Blatter to a meeting of potential Big Investors...let's call them Spectre. And just as he's going into the lift, the floor would give way and he'd fall into an empty tank..... that a shark in another tank had the key to...that piranha would have to eat the shark to get the key to get to Blatter.

Never do a straight boring kill with Mad Geniuses that want to rule the World..... always be creative.

Blatter going full Brent here

What's happening?

http://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/news/y=2015/m=5/news=the-65th-fifa-congress-live-on-fifa-com-2607376.html?intcmp=fifacom_hp_module_news_top

A stream on the FIFA website for anyone interested.

When you think about it.... how the hell do you encourage certain nations that it's a bad thing to vote for a corrupt charlatan......................................

The blank expression greets you: "And????"

http://www.zeit.de/sport/2015-05/sepp-blatter-all-reasons

http://www.zeit.de/sport/2015-05/sepp-blatter-all-reasons/seite-2

articles detailing why we should all support sepp blatter

"BBC understands there's optimism amongst Prince Ali's team the Jordanian can secure enough votes to take the Fifa presidential election into a second round."

Positive!