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Swiss police arrest Fifa officials in Zurich Fifa corruption probe: Officials arrested in Zurich
(about 1 hour later)
Six football officials have been arrested over corruption charges at governing body Fifa, at a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland.Six football officials have been arrested over corruption charges at governing body Fifa, at a hotel in Zurich, Switzerland.
The suspects, who are said to include a Fifa vice-president, have been detained pending extradition to the US.The suspects, who are said to include a Fifa vice-president, have been detained pending extradition to the US.
It involves alleged bribes worth about $100m (£65m; €92m) over two decades.It involves alleged bribes worth about $100m (£65m; €92m) over two decades.
Fifa members are gathering in Zurich for their annual meeting on Friday, where incumbent President Sepp Blatter is seeking a fifth term.Fifa members are gathering in Zurich for their annual meeting on Friday, where incumbent President Sepp Blatter is seeking a fifth term.
However, Mr Blatter is not understood to be one of those arrested.However, Mr Blatter is not understood to be one of those arrested.
Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan - Mr Blatter's rival for the Fifa presidency - described the development as "a sad day for football", but withheld from commenting further.
Fifa's headquarters in Zurich has also been raided by police, with documents seized, Swiss prosecutors say.
'Seeking clarification''Seeking clarification'
The New York Times says plain-clothed police officers took the room keys from the reception of Baur au Lac hotel, where the officials were staying, and headed to their rooms. It said the operation was carried out peacefully.
Jeffrey Webb - head of the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean - has been named as one of the officials arrested, says the BBC's Richard Conway, who is at the Zurich hotel.Jeffrey Webb - head of the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean - has been named as one of the officials arrested, says the BBC's Richard Conway, who is at the Zurich hotel.
Other Fifa officials seen by the BBC escorted by police from the hotel include:Other Fifa officials seen by the BBC escorted by police from the hotel include:
A Fifa spokesman said the organisation was seeking to clarify the situation. Fifa was seeking to clarify the situation, a spokesman said.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said in a statement on Wednesday that US authorities suspected the officials of receiving $100m worth of bribes since the early 1990s. The crimes were agreed to and prepared in the US via US bank accounts, it adds. The New York Times says plain-clothed police officers took the room keys from the reception of Baur au Lac hotel, where the officials were staying, and headed to their rooms. It said the operation was carried out peacefully.
Football's untouchable 'dark prince' - Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Switzerland
Many have wondered how Sepp Blatter can have been in charge of Fifa for so long, amid so many reports of corruption, and yet remain, apparently, untouched.
One Swiss newspaper jokingly called him "the dark prince of football, the godfather, Don Blatterone' - but no inquiry has ever revealed proof of his involvement in bribery.
"He's a survivor," says one member of parliament, Roland Buechel. "Nothing ever sticks to him; there is always someone between him and the bribes."
Some old friends describe Mr Blatter as down to earth and open. Others who have worked with him say he is a man who resents opposition, pointing to the swift departure of Fifa colleagues who dared to question him.
What emerges, finally, is a man who both critics and supporters say cannot imagine his life without Fifa, a man whose tenure as president has outlasted three marriages.
But as scandal follows scandal, Mr Blatter's determination not to leave his post willingly could see him bundled unceremoniously out the back door.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said in a statement on Wednesday that US authorities suspected the officials of receiving $100m (£65m) worth of bribes since the early 1990s for football tournaments in Latin America.
The crimes were agreed to and prepared in the US via US bank accounts, it adds.
Swiss authorities can immediately approve the extradition, the statement continues.Swiss authorities can immediately approve the extradition, the statement continues.
The BBC has learned that Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan - Sepp Blatter's rival for Fifa presidency - and his advisers will meet later on Wednesday to discuss the impact of the arrests on the presidential election this Friday. Earlier this month, Mr Blatter said he was aware some of his former colleagues were under investigation but denied that it involved him.
Earlier this month, Mr Blatter said he was aware some of his former colleagues were under investigation. He was responding to an ESPN documentary that claimed the Fifa president had been avoiding travel to the US for almost four years due to the investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Fifa has been mired in controversy in recent years, with the most recent allegations of bribery related to the 2018 and 2022 bidding process that awarded the World Cup to Russia and Qatar respectively.
The FBI's office in New York has been investigating Fifa for years, the Wall Street Journal reports.
But it reached a turning point when one of Fifa's most senior US representatives in the past decade, Chuck Blazer, started working with the authorities and allegedly took part in undercover work, the paper adds.
Fourteen people are expected to be charged with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering in a federal court in New York later on Wednesday, the New York Times reports.