March 2024

US officials accused several FIFA officials of racketeering, fraud, and money laundering. The schemes involved tens of millions of dollars spanned over the last 24 years. Fourteen people were indicted and seven are being held in Zurich, Switzerland.

The World Cup bidding process is being examined

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the executives used their positions to solicit bribes. Lynch stated, “They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves.” FIFA president Sepp Blatter vowed to kick out these crooked officials, and the FIFA organization has promised a “swift and immediate provisional ban” from any football activity to at least 11 of the people who were arrested. Swiss prosecutors opened their own investigation into FIFA, examining particularly the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and in 2022 in Qatar.

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Some officials face up to 20 years in prison

Jack Warner, a former vice-president, is accused of soliciting $10 million in bribes from South Africa’s government to host the 2010 World Cup. Mr. Warner maintains his innocence, but he turned himself in, in Trinidad. He is now released on bail. If the officials are convicted on the racketeering charges, they could face up to 20 years in prison. Lynch lists the other charges as: receiving bribes to award media and marketing rights to football tournaments, receiving bribes to influence the decision of where tournaments should be hosted, organized illegal activity, money laundering, and wire fraud.

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The beginning of a long investigation

US Attorney for New York eastern district Kelly Currie warned that this was the “beginning, not the end, of the investigation.” They pledged to rid the international football organization of systemic corruption. The Justice Department, Federal Bureau (FBI) of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) compared the FIFA to Mafia families or drug cartels. One soccer official took in more than $10 million in bribes, Attorney General Lynch said. They also “engaged in bribery to decide who would televise games, where the games would be held, and who would run the organization overseeing organized soccer worldwide.” The indictment also included sports-marketing executives from the United States and South America. They are accused of paying over $150 million in bribes for media deals with major soccer tournaments. The soccer officials charged are Eduardo Li, Jeffrey Webb, Eugenio Figueredo, Jack Warner, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel, José Maria Marin and Nicolás Leoz. The government is pursuing a “very aggressive prosecutorial response in order to change behavior,” James B. Comey, director of the FBI, said.

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Mr. Blatter says he welcomes the investigations from the US and Swiss organizations, and that this was “a difficult time for football, the fans and for FIFA as an organization… such misconduct has no place in football and we will ensure that those who engage in it are put out of the game.” Amid the controversy of the charges, Blatter’s position is being questioned by many. Some are wondering how it is possible that the president managed to keep clean of all the corruption.

SEE ALSO: 12 Football Player’s Extravagant Homes. One Of Them Is Reportedly Haunted!

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