FIFA officials arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes totalling more than $100m

Officials in world football's governing body have been arrested, at American instigation, on charges of corruption

FIFA, football’s world governing body has been beset by a series of scandals in recent years, connected to, among other things, the distribution of global marketing rights and the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting rights, to Russia and Qatar respectively. Numerous investigations have been held, several reports penned. But they have failed to stop the rot.

That may be about to change, at long last. On Wednesday May 27th police in Switzerland, where FIFA is based, swooped on a Zurich hotel in a dawn raid and arrested seven of the organisation’s officials on suspicion of receiving bribes and kickbacks totalling more than $100m. Among those marched off was a FIFA vice-president, Jeffrey Webb, the Caymanian who heads the federation in North America, Central America and the Caribbean—the last of which regions has been at the centre of many of the palm-greasing allegations over the years. Also arrested were officials from Uruguay, Brazil and Costa Rica, one of whom was due to join FIFA’s executive committee later this week.

The arrests were made at the request of American authorities. The FBI has been probing FIFA’s shenanigans since 2011. Though no footballing superpower, America would have jurisdiction over any transactions that flowed through its companies or financial system or were paid in dollars—or over any illegal acts that were planned on its soil. It remains to be seen whether those arrested will be extradited to America to face charges.

The biggest kerfuffles at FIFA have been about the circumstances surrounding delegates’ granting of the upcoming World Cups to Russia and Qatar. But the American investigation stretches back much further.

In an indictment unsealed on May 27th, America charged nine FIFA officials and five others with racketeering, wire fraud and money-laundering that allegedly began almost a quarter of a century ago. Some of the allegations relate to the murky collapse in 2001 of ISL, a sports-marketing agency that was affiliated with FIFA.

The alleged corruption is “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States," said Loretta Lynch, the United States Attorney General. Among those charged were Mr Webb and Jack Warner, his predecessor, who hails from Trinidad. Officials said six of the accused had already pleaded guilty.

More details were to be revealed later on May 27th, when American crime-busters were to hold a news conference. The case was reportedly bolstered by the co-operation of a former senior FIFA official called Chuck Blazer, who wore a wiretap at the request of investigators.

America’s actions could force other countries to investigate FIFA more bravely. Indeed, that may already be happening. In what appears to be a separate case, Swiss officers raided FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, seized electronic records and said they had opened criminal proceedings against “persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups”. According to reports, 10 FIFA members who participated in the vote for those competitions are to be questioned by police.

FIFA officials had been gathering at the swanky Baur au Lac hotel for the organisation’s presidential election, which is due to take place on Friday. Sepp Blatter (who was not one of those arrested or accused) is—or at least was before the latest developments—the strong favourite to clinch a fifth term in charge. The only other contender is Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, others having pulled out in recent weeks, citing an atmosphere of autocracy.