World soccer rocked as top officials arrested for graft

FBI agents prepare to enter the offices of CONCACAF, the soccer federation that governs North America, Central America and the Caribbean, in Miami Beach, Florida May 27, 2015. Seven of the most powerful figures in global soccer faced extradition to the United States on corruption charges after being arrested on Wednesday in Switzerland, where authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups. REUTERS

ZURICH, May 27 (Reuters) - Seven of the most powerful figures in global soccer faced extradition to the United States on corruption charges after being arrested on Wednesday in Switzerland, where authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups.

The world’s most popular sport was plunged into turmoil after U.S. and Swiss authorities announced separate inquiries into the activities of the game’s powerful governing body.

U.S. authorities said nine football officials and five sports media and promotions executives faced corruption charges involving more than $150 million in bribes. Swiss police arrested seven FIFA officials who are now awaiting extradition to the United States.

Those arrested did not include Sepp Blatter, the Swiss head of FIFA, but included several just below him in the hierarchy of sport’s wealthiest body.

Of the 14 indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, seven FIFA officials, including Vice-President Jeffrey Webb, were being held in Zurich. Four people and two corporate defendants had already pleaded guilty to various charges, the department said.

The Miami, Florida, headquarters of CONCACAF, the soccer federation that governs North America, Central America and the Caribbean, were being searched on Wednesday, the DoJ said.

“As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world,” said FBI Director James Comey. “Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA.”

The FIFA officials appeared to have walked into a trap set by U.S. and Swiss authorities. The arrests were made at dawn at a plush Zurich hotel, the Baur au Lac, where FIFA officials are staying ahead of a vote this week where they are expected to anoint Blatter for a fifth term in office. Suites at the hotel cost up to $4,000 a night.

FIFA calls arrests “difficult moment” but Blatter to stay

FIFA President Sepp Blatter

ZURICH (Reuters): Soccer’s governing body FIFA called the arrest of six of its leading figures on bribery charges a “difficult moment” but said President Sepp Blatter would not step down and that the next World Cups would go ahead as planned in Russia and Qatar.

“It is certainly a difficult moment for us,” spokesman Walter De Gregorio 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.”

De Gregorio added that the election of the FIFA president, which is expected to return Blatter for a fifth term, would proceed this week as scheduled, saying the arrests were unrelated to the vote. Swiss police arrested some of the most powerful figures in global soccer on Wednesday, announcing a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups and plunging the world’s most popular sport into turmoil.

Those arrested did not include Blatter, the Swiss head of football’s multi-billion dollar governing body FIFA, but included several of those just below him in the hierarchy of the wealthiest and most powerful sports body on earth.