Swiss authorities have confirmed the arrest of some top FIFA officials over corruption charges brought by the United States.
Six football officials were arrested in Zurich on Wednesday on allegations of paying and receiving millions of dollars in bribes, Swiss authorities said.
The Vice-president Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands was among those arrested on the eve of fresh elections set to be conducted by the world football governing body.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice issued a statement saying the arrests had been made at the request of US authorities.
“The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and the present day,” the FOJ statement said.
“The bribery suspects – representatives of sports media and sports promotion firms – are alleged to have been involved in schemes to make payments to the soccer functionaries – delegates of FIFA and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organisations – totaling more than $100 million.
“In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America.”