Global Information2015 FIFA corruption case information
 Hotel Baur au Lac, Zürich, where seven FIFA officials were arrested on 27 May 2015 | |
| Native name | Affaire de corruption à la FIFA |
|---|---|
| English name | FIFA Corruption Case |
| Venue | Hotel Baur au Lac, Zürich, Switzerland |
| Also known as | FIFA Gate |
| Participants | 11 FIFA officials |
| Outcome |
|
| Accused |
|
| Verdict |
|
In 2015, United States federal prosecutors disclosed cases of corruption by officials and associates connected with the Fédération internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer.
Near the end of May 2015, fourteen people were indicted in connection with an investigation by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI) into wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The United States Attorney General simultaneously announced the unsealing of the indictments and the prior guilty pleas by four football executives and two corporations.
The investigation revolved around collusion between officials of continental football bodies CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (Caribbean, Central and North America), and sports marketing executives. The sports marketing executives were holders of media and marketing rights for high-profile international competitions including the Americas' FIFA World Cup qualifying tournaments, and showpiece tournaments CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa América.
CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb, also serving president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, was arrested in connection with the investigation, as was former CONMEBOL President Nicolás Leoz, while two sitting FIFA Executive Committee members were also arrested: Eduardo Li of the Costa Rican Football Federation and Eugenio Figueredo, formerly of the Uruguayan Football Association. The investigation lasted several years, with the first arrest, of former CONCACAF president Jack Warner's son Daryll, made in July 2013.[1][2]
In total, seven then-current FIFA officials were arrested at the Hotel Baur au Lac in Zürich on 27 May. They were preparing to attend the 65th FIFA Congress, which was scheduled to include the election of the president of FIFA.[3] They were expected to be extradited to the United States on suspicion of receiving US$150 million in bribes.[3] There was also a simultaneous raid on the CONCACAF headquarters in Miami Beach,[4][5] and later, two further men handed themselves in to police for arrest: Jack Warner and marketing executive Alejandro Burzaco.[6][7] Two further arrests of FIFA officials at the hotel occurred in December 2015.[8]
The arrests case triggered Australia,[9] Colombia,[10] Costa Rica,[11] Germany[12] and Switzerland[13] to open or intensify separate criminal investigations into top FIFA officials for corruption.
- ^ "FIFA Indictments". The New York Times. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ "Nine FIFA Officials and Five Corporate Executives Indicted for Racketeering Conspiracy and Corruption". United States Department of Justice. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Fifa officials arrested on corruption charges as World Cup inquiry launched". The Guardian. 27 May 2015. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
- ^ Matthew, Jennie (27 May 2015). US prosecutors allege 'World Cup' of soccer fraud. Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - ^ FBI raids CONCACAF office in Miami Beach, retrieved 27 November 2022
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Warner-arrestwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
burzaco-italywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Fifa arrests: Two Fifa vice-presidents detained at Zurich hotel". BBC News. 3 December 2015. Archived from the original on 3 December 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2015.
- ^ "Fifa crisis: Australian police agree to look into $500,000 paid to Jack Warner". The Guardian. 29 May 2015. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- ^ "Colombia joins investigation into FIFA corruption". colombiareports.com. 28 May 2015. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ "Costa Rica Prosecutors Open Investigation into Arrest of FIFA Official Eduardo Li". The Costa Rica News. Archived from the original on 29 May 2015.
- ^ German football chief resigns over corruption allegations Archived 23 November 2015 at the Wayback Machine, BBC Sports, 9 November 2015
- ^ "Fifa scandal: What took Switzerland so long to investigate?". BBC News. 28 May 2015. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.