from BBC
US prosecutors have accused several officials from football’s governing body FIFA of racketeering, fraud and money laundering involving tens of millions of dollars over 24 years.
Prosecutors said they had discovered a dozen schemes, including one awarding the 2010 World Cup to South Africa.
Fourteen people have been indicted, with seven held in Zurich on Wednesday.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who is not among them,issued a statement vowing to kick out corrupt officials.
FIFA also announced a “swift and immediate provisional ban” from football-related activity on 11 of the people involved in the US prosecution.
FIFA says it still intends to hold its presidential election on Friday. Mr Blatter is favoured to win a fifth term.
However, European football body Uefa has called for the election to be postponed and said it would decide on Thursday whether to boycott the congress.
Swiss prosecutors have also opened a separate investigation into the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.
Those indicted in the US case are accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m over a 24-year period beginning in 1991.
Spelling out details of the US case, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said some FIFA executives had “used their positions to solicit bribes. They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament”.
“They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves.”
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