Fifa officials arrested on corruption charges

More than a dozen plain-clothed officers descended on the five-star Baur au Lac hotel on Wednesday to make the arrests.

The Swiss city is the setting for this year’s annual meeting of football’s world governing body.

The Associated Press quoted Swiss officials as saying six people had been taken into custody on suspicion of getting or paying bribes. However, the Guardian understands as many as 15 people worldwide might have been arrested as part of the operation. 

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said those arrested in Zurich were pending extradition at the request of US authorities.

In a statement 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.

Not all of the officials are believed to be in Zurich at present. But it was reported that Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, is not one of those arrested in the morning raids.