CONCACAF put the wheels back on and call for FIFA elections to go-ahead

Alfredo Hawit

By Paul Nicholson in Zurich
May 28 – CONCACAF have said that they want the election for FIFA president to go ahead tomorrow, and have set up their own Special Committee to manage the affairs of the confederation after the tumultuous events of yesterday that saw their president Jeffrey Webb and Costa Rican president and newly elected FIFA executive member Eduardo Li  arrested in their Zurich hotels by Swiss police.

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US law enforcers lay bare web of deceit and corruption in Americas

loretta lynch

By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
May 28 – Accusing FIFA of indulging for two generations in a “World Cup of Fraud”, US justice authorities today laid bare the full and sensational extent of corruption at the heart of football’s world governing body in the Americas. Those indicted by the US authorities are accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m over a 24-year period.

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US prosecutor reveals names and charges as it chases down tax dollars

US dept of justice

By Paul Nicholson in Zurich
May 27 – More details surrounding the seven arrests in Zurich this morning have been releasesd by US law authorities who have stepped up their assault on CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, its executives and associated marketing parties. The information details the nine FIFA officials and five company executives who have been “indicted for racketeering, conspiracy and corruption”.

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Football League loses Capital One but Sky Bet stakes its claim

skybet logo

By Mark Baber
May 27 – The Football League has outlined its plans for title sponsorship of the League and League Cup, officially confirming Capital One will no longer be sponsoring the League Cup, whilst negotiations continue over title sponsorship of the Football League – with Sky Bet very much in the frame.
In a statement on its official web site the Football League confirmed Sky Bet will continue as title sponsor of the Sky Bet Championship,

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World Cup finals should stay at 32 places, says Webb

JeffreyWebb-052312B1

By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
May 27 – Before his dramatic and surprise detention at the hands of Swiss law enforcement officers early this morning, it was business as usual for CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, and high on the agenda was World Cup representation and the number of nations qualifying for the finals. Webb, who has consistently campaigned for more World Cup representation for his Continent, says increasing the finals from its present 32-team format is not the best way to go about it.

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Zurich arrests and Swiss World Cup probe turn FIFA Congress into mayhem

FIFA signage

By Andrew Warshaw and Paul Nicholson in Zurich
May 27 – Dawn raids at a Zurich hotel have plunged FIFA into crisis with the reported arrest of six officials by Swiss law enforcement authorities. No sooner had news of the arrests been made than FIFA was hit by a second bombshell within a few hours when the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) announced it has opened criminal proceedings in connection with the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups “against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and money laundering”.

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