Seven top officials of FIFA were arrested on Wednesday in connection with alleged corruption.
The arrests were made by the US Department of Justice over two criminal investigations into allegations of corruption involving the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids scheduled to be hosted by Russia and Qatar respectively.
The seven were among 14 high-ranking officials indicted on corruption charges. The seven officials, who were arrested at a hotel in Zurich, include Jeffrey Webb, head of the North and Central America Confederation; Edward Li, Costa Rica’s national football chief; Eugenio Figueredo, President of CONMEBOL; and Rafael Esquivel, president, Venezuela Football Federation.
Others include Jose Maria Marin, FIFA’s club committee member; Julia Rocha, FIFA development officer and Costas Takkas, an attache to the president of CONCACAF.
While FIFA said there would be no re-run of the bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, the football governing body says it will go ahead with the elections into the office of the FIFA president on Friday, May 29.
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