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Jeffrey Webb, Fifa vice-president in charge of North and Central America, was among those arrested by Swiss police in a raid on a luxury hotel in the early hours of 27 May. The seven are among 14 defendants the US has charged with racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies. In a 47-count indictment unveiled in a New York federal court, they were accused of taking part “in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer”. The indictment alleges that US and South American sports marketing executives paid and agreed to pay “well over $150m” in bribes and other illegal payments to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to football tournaments. The corruption was planned in the US, the indictment said. The use of US banks to transfer money appears to have been key to the investigation. The charges follow a three-year FBI investigation. It was initially sparked by the bidding process for the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, but was then widened to look back at Fifa’s dealings over two decades.
