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| Six Fifa officials arrested on corruption charges – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 4.07pm AEST07:07 | |
| Although Swiss authorities have confirmed six arrests took place in Zurich this morning, the Guardian understands as many as 15 people worldwide might have been taken into custody. | |
| 4.06pm AEST07:06 | |
| An extraordinary image of the arrests: | |
| FIFA officials were escorted out behind sheets at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich http://t.co/LCuxIyugth pic.twitter.com/1M8SuQMSUu | |
| 3.58pm AEST06:58 | |
| Fifa spokesman: 'We are seeking clarity' | |
| Richard Conway, sports news correspondent for BBC 5Live, has this comment from a Fifa spokesman: | |
| We have seen the media reports and and are seeking clarity in this matter. | |
| We will make no further comment at this stage. | |
| 3.55pm AEST06:55 | |
| Jeffrey Webb, Fifa vice-president, arrested – reports | |
| No names have yet been confirmed by Swiss authorities, but among those arrested this morning is reported to be Jeffrey Webb, a Fifa vice-president and president of the Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) federation formerly controlled by Jack Warner. | |
| Jeffrey Webb, Concacaf president, understood to be among those arrested sources close to Fifa confirm. | |
| Updated at 4.01pm AEST | |
| 3.49pm AEST06:49 | |
| Analysis: the day Fifa executives have long dreaded | |
| The Guardian’s Owen Gibson is outside the the Bauer au Lac, the hotel from where the officials were escorted by police in an early-morning swoop: | |
| This is the day that Fifa executives have long dreaded. The cosy, luxurious world they have enjoyed for decades, stretching back beyond the 17 years in which Sepp Blatter has been president to the era of Joao Havelange has been shattered. | |
| It is symbolic that the arrests were made in the lobby of the Bauer au Lac hotel, which down the years has become the residence of choice for this peculiar class of cosseted captains of world football. | |
| The FBI has been probing Fifa for at least three years, its investigations centring on the likes of Jack Warner and Ricardo Teixeira and informed by Chuck Blazer, the former Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) general secretary who opted to co-operate with the investigation after being threatened with prosecution over a huge unpaid tax bill. | |
| The rumours that are now swirling around outside the hotel suggest that those arrested are mainly officials from the Concacaf region, the former fiefdom controlled by Warner. | |
| 3.45pm AEST06:45 | |
| Some more details here, via Associated Press, of the arrests: | |
| The Swiss Federal Office of Justice says six soccer officials have been arrested and detained pending extradition at the request of US authorities ahead of the Fifa congress in Zurich. | |
| In a statement Wednesday, the FOJ says US authorities suspect the officials of having received of paid bribes totalling millions of dollars. | |
| It says the US attorney’s office for the eastern district of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kickbacks between the early 1990s and now. | |
| Fifa, soccer’s world governing body, is holding a presidential election in Zurich on Friday, when Sepp Blatter has been widely tipped to stay in the job. | |
| 3.42pm AEST06:42 | |
| The BBC’s sports editor, Dan Roan, reports that the US attorney-general is due to hold a press conference later – mid-afternoon UK time – to give more details of the indictments: | |
| Understand US Attorney-General & FBI to hold press conference on FIFA in Brooklyn, New York at 3.30 GMT | |
| 3.37pm AEST06:37 | |
| The Guardian’s chief sports correspondent, Owen Gibson, is in Zurich and sends this dispatch: | |
| We’ve just been turfed out of the opulent lobby of the Bauer au Lac hotel where Fifa’s top brass habitually gather when they come to Zurich. Yesterday, the likes of Michel Platini held court – today it has been sealed off to press and public after this morning’s drama. | |
| All is quiet now after the drama of this morning’s dawn arrests. Michel d’Hooghe, a veteran Belgian executive committee member, hurried off to a Fifa medical conference without comment. ‘I heard something was happening, but I don’t want to say any more.’ | |
| There are lots of rumours about exactly who has been taken away by police but no confirmation on the ground. | |
| Updated at 4.09pm AEST | |
| 3.30pm AEST06:30 | 3.30pm AEST06:30 |
| Six officials arrested | Six officials arrested |
| The Associated Press says Swiss authorities have confirmed that six Fifa officials have been arrested on suspicion of receiving and/or paying millions in bribes. | The Associated Press says Swiss authorities have confirmed that six Fifa officials have been arrested on suspicion of receiving and/or paying millions in bribes. |
| 3.28pm AEST06:28 | 3.28pm AEST06:28 |
| The New York Times has more detail on the possible indictments to be laid out by US prosecutors: | The New York Times has more detail on the possible indictments to be laid out by US prosecutors: |
| The charges allege widespread corruption in Fifa over the past two decades, involving bids for World Cups as well as marketing and broadcast deals, according to three law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the case. | The charges allege widespread corruption in Fifa over the past two decades, involving bids for World Cups as well as marketing and broadcast deals, according to three law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the case. |
| The charges include wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering, and officials said they targeted members of Fifa’s powerful executive committee, which wields enormous power and does its business largely in secret. | The charges include wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering, and officials said they targeted members of Fifa’s powerful executive committee, which wields enormous power and does its business largely in secret. |
| There has been much scrutiny, for example, of the process by which Qatar was awarded the right to host the World Cup in 2022. | There has been much scrutiny, for example, of the process by which Qatar was awarded the right to host the World Cup in 2022. |
| In November last year, Fifa’s ethics committee closed its investigation into the controversial bidding process that saw Qatar named as host of the 2022 World Cup, ruling that any breaches of the rules were only of “very limited scope”. | |
| The decision to award Qatar the tournament was hugely controversial, prompting an avalanche of allegations about the way it won the bid and concerns about the searing heat in which it would be played and the treatment of migrant workers building the infrastructure underpinning it. | The decision to award Qatar the tournament was hugely controversial, prompting an avalanche of allegations about the way it won the bid and concerns about the searing heat in which it would be played and the treatment of migrant workers building the infrastructure underpinning it. |
| But Fifa said an investigation did not find any direct link between the World Cup bid and illicit payments made by the disgraced former Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam, a Qatari who was banned for life for paying bribes during a campaign to unseat Sepp Blatter as Fifa president. | But Fifa said an investigation did not find any direct link between the World Cup bid and illicit payments made by the disgraced former Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam, a Qatari who was banned for life for paying bribes during a campaign to unseat Sepp Blatter as Fifa president. |
| Updated at 4.07pm AEST | |
| 3.24pm AEST06:24 | 3.24pm AEST06:24 |
| New York Times reporters Michael Schmidt and Matt Apuzzo are on the scene at the hotel in Zurich: | New York Times reporters Michael Schmidt and Matt Apuzzo are on the scene at the hotel in Zurich: |
| Swiss law enforcement getting room numbers for FIFA execs they are heading upstairs to arrest pic.twitter.com/F69djqpcu5 | Swiss law enforcement getting room numbers for FIFA execs they are heading upstairs to arrest pic.twitter.com/F69djqpcu5 |
| FIFA execs not being led out in handcuffs. Very peaceful. Hotel staff meanwhile is freaking out. | FIFA execs not being led out in handcuffs. Very peaceful. Hotel staff meanwhile is freaking out. |
| One FIFA official, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, was led from his room. http://t.co/3OXtYMwLj6 | One FIFA official, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, was led from his room. http://t.co/3OXtYMwLj6 |
| 3.18pm AEST06:18 | 3.18pm AEST06:18 |
| Summary | Summary |
| Several top Fifa officials have been arrested on corruption charges in an early-morning police operation in Zurich, according to reports. | Several top Fifa officials have been arrested on corruption charges in an early-morning police operation in Zurich, according to reports. |
| The New York Times reports that more than a dozen plain-clothed officers descended on the five-star Baur au Lac hotel very early on Wednesday morning. | |
| The Swiss city is the setting for this year’s annual meeting of football’s world governing body. | |
| It’s reported that multiple arrests were made on allegations of widespread corruption. | It’s reported that multiple arrests were made on allegations of widespread corruption. |
| Those arrested could now face extradition proceedings to the US, where federal corruption charges may follow. | Those arrested could now face extradition proceedings to the US, where federal corruption charges may follow. |
| 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. | 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. |
| According to the reports, more than 10 Fifa officials may be indicted as part of the investigation. | According to the reports, more than 10 Fifa officials may be indicted as part of the investigation. |
| Not all of the officials are believed to be in Zurich at present. But it is reported that Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, is not one of those arrested in the morning raids. | Not all of the officials are believed to be in Zurich at present. But it is reported that Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, is not one of those arrested in the morning raids. |
| We will have the latest on this live blog as the story develops | We will have the latest on this live blog as the story develops |
| Updated at 4.05pm AEST |