Swiss police arrest Fifa executives

According to the BBC,  Swiss police have arrested a number of executives from football world governing body Fifa over US corruption charges.

Police conducted the operation at a hotel in Zurich early on Wednesday morning. Charges are said to include money laundering, racketeering and wire fraud over the last 20 years.

Fifa members are gathering in Zurich for their annual meeting on Friday, where incumbent President Sepp Blatter is seeking a fifth term. Up to six Fifa officials are reported to have been arrested. They have not been named, but Blatter is not thought to be one of them.

The BBC reports that Jeffrey Webb - head of the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean - has been named as one of the officials arrested, while other Fifa officials seen by the BBC escorted by police from the hotel include; Costa Rica's Eduardo Li, who was due to join Fifa's executive committee on Friday, Uruguay's Eugenio Figueredo, president of South American football governing body Conmebol and Brazil's Jose Maria Marin, a member of Fifa's club committee. Police were seen carrying his suitcase and some of his possessions in plastic bags

The New York Times reports that they will be extradited to the US. It added that plain-clothed police officers took the room keys from the reception of Baur au Lac hotel, where the officials were staying, and headed upstairs to the guest rooms. It said the operation was carried out peacefully.

The Guardian reports that as many as 15 people worldwide might have been taken into custody.

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said in a statement that the FOJ said US authorities suspect the officials of having received or having paid bribes totalling millions of dollars.

“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 (FIFA delegates) and other functionaries of FIFA sub-organisations - totalling more than USD 100 million,” the FOJ statement said.

“In return, it is believed that they received media, marketing, and sponsorship rights in connection with soccer tournaments in Latin America.”

It said the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating individuals for kick-backs between the early 1990s and now.

The charges stem from a joint investigation by the FBI and US tax authorities that has been ongoing since at least 2011, according to the New York Daily News website.