Football's most powerful figures await extradition to US

Football's most powerful figures await extradition to US
By Euronews
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Several of the global football industry’s most powerful figures are in detention waiting extradition to the United States after being arrested in

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Several of the global football industry’s most powerful figures are in detention waiting extradition to the United States after being arrested in Switzerland on Wednesday (May 27) in connection with US and Swiss corruption cases.

Jeffery Webb: FIFA vice president who is head of football’s governing body in north and central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and president of the Cayman Islands Football Association.

Eugenio Figueredo: President of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) since his incumbent was accused of corruption.

José María Marín: President of Brazil’s Football Federation and president of the organizing committee for the 2014 Brasil World Cup.

Eduardo Li: Costa Rica national football chief Eduardo Li who was expected to become a FIFA executive committee member on Friday (May 29).

Rafael Esquivel: President of Venezuela Football Federation, and

Julio Rocha: President of Nicaragua’s Football Federation and FIFA development officer.

Also under investigation is former FIFA vice president Jack Warner who resigned four years ago amid corruption accusations. He not arrested because he was not staying at the luxury Swiss hotel.

"The Conspirators' Corruption of the Enterprise" DoJ's 47-count indictment on #FIFA officials pic.twitter.com/4GyGvXlpGv

— RupertNeate (@RupertNeate) May 27, 2015

Huge question marks hang over the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 2018 tournament in Russia. However as things stand now FIFA says they will both go ahead as scheduled. The chairman of sports committee at the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, the Duma, told journalists that the arrests of FIFA officials are not related to Russia’s bidding campaign for the 2018 World Cup.

“I can say with utmost certainty that all questions to those (FIFA) officials are not related to the bidding campaign of the Russian Federation for the 2018 World Cup,” said the committee chairman, Igor Ananskikh.

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