American and Swiss authorities launched an active investigation against the officials of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), as reported by Time. Prosecutors from the United States revealed on Wednesday that 14 people linked to the association have incurred a "47-count indictment" which include charges of wire fraud, racketeering, and money-laundering. Among the 14 defendants, nine were identified as FIFA officials.
In 2004, Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa submitted their bids to be chosen as the host country for the widely prestigious worldwide event, The World Cup, according to New York Times. While the decision on which state would be chosen was largely in the hands of the committee members of FIFA at the time, it is widely known that every vote counts. With the recent accusations shedding light on the events that transpired during the highly popular sports competition held years ago, reports indicate that at least one vote had been offered for sale during the selection process.
In a statement from Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, she announced "the unsealing of charges and the arrests of individuals as part of our long-running investigation into bribery and corruption in the world of organized soccer."
"The 14 defendants charged in the indictment we are unsealing today include high-ranking officials of FIFA, the international organization responsible for regulating and promoting soccer; leaders of regional and other governing bodies under the FIFA umbrella; and sports marketing executives who, according to the indictment, paid millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments. The 47-count indictment against these individuals includes charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies spanning two decades," Lynch said.
While FIFA refuses to give comments to the media regarding the corruption scandal that is currently rocking the group to its very core, FIFA President Sepp Blatter provided the following official statement in behalf of the entire community.
"This is a difficult time for football, the fans and for FIFA as an organisation. We understand the disappointment that many have expressed and I know that the events of today will impact the way in which many people view us.
As unfortunate as these events are, it should be clear that we welcome the actions and the investigations by the US and Swiss authorities and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in football.
While there will be many who are frustrated with the pace of change, I would like to stress the actions that we have taken and will continue to take. In fact, today's action by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General was set in motion when we submitted a dossier to the Swiss authorities late last year.
Let me be clear: such misconduct has no place in football and we will ensure that those who engage in it are put out of the game. Following the events of today, the independent Ethics Committee - which is in the midst of its own proceedings regarding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups - took swift action to provisionally ban those individuals named by the authorities from any football-related activities at the national and international level. These actions are on top of similar steps that FIFA has taken over the past year to exclude any members who violate our own Code of Ethics.
We will continue to work with the relevant authorities and we will work vigorously within FIFA in order to root out any misconduct, to regain your trust and ensure that football worldwide is free from wrongdoing."
