"2014 FIFA Announcement (Joseph Blatter) 8" by Marcello Casal Jr. / ABr - Agência Brasil (Secretaria de Imprensa e Divulgação). Licensed under CC BY 3.0 br via Wikimedia Commons
United States prosecutors have announced criminal charges, which include money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud, against 16 FIFA officials. The prosecution claims that they were part of an over 20-year scheme to personally profit off the world’s most popular game.
The two biggest names of this latest batch of arrests are Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout. The former is the head of CONCACAF, the governing body for soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, while the latter heads COMMEBOL, the South American authority.
“On the instructions of the (Swiss) Federal Office of Justice, a further two FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich today,” a statement from the Swiss Federal Court of Justice read. “They are being held in custody pending their extradition. According to U.S. arrest requests, they are suspected of accepting bribes of millions of dollars. The high-ranking FIFA officials are alleged to have taken the money in return for selling marketing rights in connection with football tournaments in Latin America, as well as World Cup qualifying matches. According to the arrest requests, some of the offenses were agreed and prepared in the USA. Payments were also processed via U.S. banks,” the statement added, explaining why the U.S. was in a position to ask for the arrests.
The charges were the latest in a push led by the United States to clean up corruption in international football. FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) president Michel Platini are both currently serving 90 day suspensions following criminal charges from the Swiss Attorney General.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.
The overarching belief is that FIFA has been profiting from kickbacks from its tournaments and their media rights. The selections of the next two World Cup hosts, Russia and Qatar, for example, are believed to have been aided by unjust means.
Photo: “2014 FIFA Announcement (Joseph Blatter) 8” by Marcello Casal Jr. / ABr – Agência Brasil (Secretaria de Imprensa e Divulgação). Licensed under CC BY 3.0 br via Wikimedia Commons
LeBron James is on the move, and the Philadelphia 76ers have emerged as a serious…
After Miles Bridges was traded to the Phoenix Suns, the Charlotte Hornets continued their dramatic…
Former NFL wide receiver Josh Gordon is giving fans new insight into what made Tom…
Deandre Ayton is headed to the Washington Wizards just days after he exercised his player option…
The Lakers finally got their center, landing Walker Kessler in a blockbuster trade that addresses…
Jaylen Brown is headed to the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster trade completed Wednesday night.The…