FIFA president Sepp Blatter
From
corruption investigations in the United States and Switzerland to the
sudden suspension of his right-hand man, FIFA president Sepp Blatter can
expect a barrage of questions when he faces the media on Friday, AFP reports.
Blatter’s press conference, his first
appearance since the removal of FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke,
will follow a two-day executive committee meeting where the
seemingly-endless scandals at world football’s sleaze-tainted governing
body are on the agenda.
Since the executive committee last met, much of the news surrounding FIFA has been less than positive.
On Wednesday, the Swiss justice ministry
approved the extradition to the US of Rafael Esquivel, a Venezuelan
ex-FIFA official who was among those arrested in a dawn raid in Zurich
in May.
Switzerland has also approved the
transfer to US jurisdiction of former FIFA Vice-President Eugenio
Figueredo, a Uruguayan, with extradition decisions on four other
suspects due in the coming days.
Last week also saw Valcke’s sacking on
allegations that he participated in a massive black market
ticket-selling scheme surrounding the 2014 World Cup.
Valcke fiercely denies the allegations and has vowed to fight them.
Three days before Valcke was dismissed,
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said her sweeping investigation into
decades of graft at FIFA was expanding and was likely to lead to more
people being charged.
It was Lynch who uncorked the crisis at
FIFA in May, when her office unsealed indictments against 14 people –
nine football officials and five sports marketing executives – accused
of involvement in a bribery scandal worth more than $150m since 1991.
Speaking next to Lynch in Zurich last
week, Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber said his separate probe into
the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups had led to assets
being seized, including flats in the Swiss Alps.
Lauber has not given any indication as to
who may be charged in the Swiss inquiry, but FIFA officials have
conceded that if there is clear evidence that bribes were paid during
the bidding, both Russia and Qatar could lose hosting rights for the
2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively.
Lauber made clear that his investigation had “not yet reached half-time.”
Title : Blatter under fresh fire
Description : FIFA president Sepp Blatter From corruption investigations in the United States and Switzerland to the sudden suspension of his r...