A two-day meeting of Fifa’s executive committee is taking place in the city.”Fifa became aware of the actions taken today by the US Department of Justice”, football’s world governing body said.”Fifa will continue to co-operate fully with the US investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General.”Fifa will have no further comment on today’s developments”.
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Both men have opposed their extradition to the United States at Zurich police hearings, Switzerland’s justice ministry said in a statement.
The arrests were carried out at the five-star Baur au Lac hotel, a favourite of FIFA’s officials, and the same spot where seven top football executives were arrested in May on suspicion of involvement in tens of millions of dollars of corruption dating back decades.
The FOJ said it would issue another statement with the names of those who have been arrested later on Thursday.
The FOJ will now ask the United States to submit a formal extradition request within 40 days. The U.S. would likely be the favourite for a tournament needing a minimum 12 stadiums for a 96-match World Cup.
In parallel investigations, Swiss and USA authorities are focusing on whether certain business contracts or the World Cup hosting rights for 2018 and 2022 were won with the help of bribery.
Wolfgang Niersbach, the German Fifa executive committee member, said the main focal point of the meeting was a “very comprehensive reform package”.
Those term limits will also apply to members of the FIFA Council, which will replace the ExCo and be “responsible for setting the organisation’s overall strategic direction”, the Audit and Compliance Committee and the judicial bodies. Four other men made guilty pleas.
The leaderships of several South American national soccer organizations have been upended.
The U.S. and Swiss investigations have breathed new life into efforts to overhaul Federation Internationale de Football Association.
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At the same time, the executive committee delayed a decision on a controversial proposal to expand the World Cup from 32 to 40 teams.
