“This is the World Cup of fraud and today we are issuing FIFA a red card,” the head of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation said.
FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter speaks to journalists in Zurich on Friday.
Ennio Leanza / AP
The soccer world was rocked early Wednesday when Swiss police rounded up several FIFA officials accused of taking part in a massive corruption scandal, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives face charges of racketeering, conspiracy, and corruption for their "participation in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer," according to the 47-count indictment unsealed Wednesday. In addition to those indicted, four individuals and two companies previously pleaded guilty to charges.
"They were expected to uphold the rules that keep soccer honest, and protect the integrity of the game," Attorney General Loretta Lynch told reporters Wednesday morning in New York City. "Instead, they corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and enrich themselves."
Swiss police arrested seven of the FIFA officials in Zurich early Wednesday. At least some of the arrests took place at Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, where officials were gathering ahead of the organization's presidential vote on Friday. The officials were detained pending extradition, and authorities in Switzerland said they were acting in coordination with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The arrests came at the request of the U.S. Justice Department and are the result of a three-year FBI investigation.
"This is the World Cup of fraud and today we are issuing FIFA a red card," Chief Richard Weber of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation told reporters.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch addresses reporters in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday.
Mark Lennihan / AP
According to the DOJ, all of the defendants were facing charges of racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses.
"The indictment alleges corruption is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States," Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement.
"After decades of what the indictment alleges to be brazen corruption, organized international soccer needs a new start -- 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," Lynch said.
Under American law, federal officials have the power to bring charges against foreigners abroad if there is a connection to the United States. Lynch alleged those charged "abused the U.S. financial system and violated U.S. law."
"They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament," she said.
Swiss officials also said their American counterparts had good reason to pursue the case. "According to U.S. request, these crimes were agreed and prepared in the U.S., and payments were carried out via U.S. banks," the Swiss Office of Justice told CNN.
The indictment also alleged FIFA's 2011 presidential election was marred by corruption and bribery, and that this illegal behavior extended to a sponsorship agreement between Brazil's national team and a "major U.S. sportswear company." The company was not named directly in the indictment.
In a statement, Brazil's national soccer federation said it "fully supports the investigation" and "reaffirms its commitment to truth and transparency."
SOURCE: BuzzFeed
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