ZURICH (AP) _ Russia’s Foreign Ministry is lashing out at the United States over the arrest in Switzerland of seven officials from FIFA, the world soccer body.
U.S. corruption charges were unveiled Wednesday against 14 people, and seven of them, all FIFA officials, were arrested Wednesday in Zurich.
In addition, Swiss prosecutors announced criminal proceedings into FIFA’s awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said the arrests were “evidently another case of illegal extra-territorial implementation of American law.”
Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who sits on the FIFA executive committee, told The Associated Press by telephone that “we’ve got nothing to hide” and “we’re prepared to show everything.”
The Swiss justice ministry says U.S. authorities now have 40 days to submit a formal extradition request to Switzerland for six of seven FIFA officials arrested in a FIFA corruption probe.
U.S. corruption charges were unveiled Wednesday against 14 people, and seven of them, all FIFA officials, were arrested Wednesday morning in Zurich.
Swiss officials say only one of those officials has agreed to a quick extradition to the United States.
He could be handed over to U.S. officials shortly.
Swiss officials did not name those who had resisted extradition.
U.S. prosecutors say they have uncovered a dozen different schemes while investigating corruption at FIFA, the world soccer body _ and some of those schemes involved the awarding of the 2010 World Cup to South Africa.
At a news conference Wednesday in New York, acting Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Kelly T. Currie said nine of the schemes involved sports-marketing companies seeking a piece of the lucrative business surrounding FIFA events.
Currie says corrupt FIFA officials solicited bribes from sports marketing companies, which often made tens of millions in profits from soccer tournaments such as the World Cup. He says U.S. officials want “to send a message around the world that this behavior will not be tolerated.”
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch says bribery and corruption have been marring soccer for at least 24 years as FIFA officials solicited bribes from sports marketing firms and others surrounding its marque events.