Six Fifa officials arrested on corruption charges

FIFA President Sepp Blatter
FIFA President Sepp Blatter

Six Fifa officials, including its vice-president Jeffrey Webb, have been arrested on suspicion of corruption in dawn raids at a Zurich hotel ahead the presidential election.

The members of the world governing body were held by Swiss police at the US Department of Justice’s request reports BBC.

They are suspected of having received bribes totalling millions of US dollars, the Swiss authorities said.

The FBI and US Department of Justice will hold a news conference later.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who is seeking a fifth term in charge of the organisation when he stands for re-election on Friday, is not one of those arrested.

But vice-president Webb, who is also head of the North America, Central America and Caribbean football federation, is among those held, according to BBC Radio 5 live’s sports news correspondent Richard Conway, who is in Zurich.

Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, Eugenio Figueredo of Uruguay and the Brazilian deputy FA chief Jose Maria Marin were also taken away.