Zurich, May 27 (IANS) Six football officials were arrested and detained by the Swiss police on Wednesday before FIFA holds its congress.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said that the case involves bribes totalling more than $100 million linked to commercial deals dating back to the 1990s for football tournaments. It also confirmed that FIFA president Sepp Blatter was not among those arrested, reports Xinhua.
“The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating these individuals on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kickbacks between the early 1990s and the present day,” a FOJ statement said.
The 1994 World Cup was held in the US.
The police raided a hotel and took away the officials from their rooms, who are in Switzerland for the FIFA Congress and presidential elections.