Beleaguered world football governing body, FIFA, was plunged back into full crisis mode yesterday when US authorities led by the Attorney General of the United States Loretta Lynch indicted sixteen more of its officials over corruption charges.
Earlier, Swiss police staged a repeat of May’s swoop on Fifa’s luxury Zurich accommodation by arresting two more of its vice-presidents, who were among several high-ranking officials charged by the United States Department of Justice with taking bribes related to the award of television and marketing rights for World Cup and other matches.
Lynch disclosed this in a Press conference where she accused the Officials of embezzling funds meant for disaster relief and development projects.
She also said that eight defendants who had previously been charged as part of the ongoing investigations have pleaded guilty to corruption and paid back £125m.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington DC, Lynch said: “The betrayal of trust set forth here is outrageous. The scale of corruption alleged herein is unconscionable.
“And the message from this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows, hoping to evade our investigation: you will not wait us out; you will not escape our focus.”
In addition, the Chief of investigation Richard Weber of the IRS’s criminal investigation division said: “Good intent has been replaced by greed and misguided goals.
“This case has been nothing short of one of the most complex, worldwide financial investigations ever conducted.”
The current and former senior football executives charged are:
Alfredo Hawit – Fifa vice-president and Concacaf president
Ariel Alvarado – Fifa disciplinary committee member and former Panamanian football chief
Rafael Callejas – former president of Honduras – and its football association
Brayan Jimenez – Guatemala FA chief and member of the Fifa committee for fair play and social responsibility.
Rafael Salguero – Former Fifa executive committee member and Guatemala football chief
Hector Trujillo – general secretary of Guatemala FA
Reynaldo Vasquez – former El Salvador FA president
Juan Angel Napout – Fifa vice-president and Conmebol president
Manuel Burga – Fifa development committee member and former Peru FA president
Carlos Chavez – Conmebol treasurer
Luis Chiriboga – Ecuador football president
Marco Polo del Nero – Brazil football president
Eduardo Deluca – former Conmebol general secretary
Jose Luis Meiszner – Conmebol general secretary
Romer Osuna – Bolivian Fifa audit and compliance committee member
Ricardo Teixeira – former Brazil FA chief