US prosecutors have accused several officials from football's governing body Fifa of racketeering, fraud and money laundering involving tens of millions of dollars over 24 years. Prosecutors said they had discovered a dozen schemes, including one awarding the 2010 World Cup to South Africa.
Fourteen people have been indicted, with seven held in Zurich on Wednesday. Fifa president Sepp Blatter is not among them. Fifa still intends to hold its presidential election on Friday.
However, European football body Uefa has called for the election to be postponed and said it could boycott the congress.
Mr Blatter is seeking re-election and is favoured to win a fifth term.
Swiss prosecutors have also opened a separate investigation into the bidding process for the World Cup tournaments in 2018 in Russia and 2022 in Qatar.
'Over and over'
Those indicted in the US case are accused of accepting bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150m (£97m) over a 24-year period beginning in 1991. One of the seven arrested in Zurich is Jeffrey Webb, current Fifa vice-president and head of the Concacaf federation that serves North and Central America. Six of the seven are contesting extradition to the US, Swiss authorities say.
Former Fifa vice president Jack Warner of Trinidad and Tobago, who was not one of those held in Switzerland, is accused of soliciting $10m in bribes from South Africa's government over the hosting of the 2010 World Cup. Mr Warner issued a statement saying he was innocent of any charges.
If convicted on racketeering charges, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch said some Fifa executives had "used their positions to solicit bribes. They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament".
"They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves."
Ms Lynch said the charges included:
-Receiving bribes to receive media and marketing rights to football tournaments
-Receiving bribes to influence the decision of where tournaments should be hosted - including the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the 2016 Copa America in the US
-Racketeering - organised illegal activity
-Money laundering
-Wre fraud - or obtaining money by fraudulent means
Ms Lynch said the forthcoming Fifa election had played no part in the timing of the indictments, and that although Fifa had a "lot of soul searching to do", US law officials were not looking to have "an impact on the decisions" Fifa needed to make in the future.
However, Acting US Attorney for New York eastern district Kelly Currie warned this was the "beginning, not the end, of the investigation". Four individuals and two companies have already pleaded guilty. But the US officials said there were no allegations that any football matches were affected by the alleged corruption.
Many have wondered how Sepp Blatter can have been in charge of Fifa for so long amid so many reports of corruption and yet remain, apparently, untouched.
One Swiss newspaper jokingly called him "the dark prince of football, the godfather, Don Blatterone" - but no inquiry has ever revealed proof of his involvement in corruption.
Some old friends describe Mr Blatter as down-to-earth and open. Others who have worked with him say he is a man who resents opposition, pointing to the swift departure of Fifa colleagues who dared to question him.
What emerges, finally, is a man who both critics and supporters say cannot imagine his life without Fifa, a man whose tenure as president has outlasted three marriages. Fifa earlier said it welcomed the process and insisted that the vote to elect its next president would go ahead on Friday.
In the second case, Swiss prosecutors opened criminal proceedings "against persons unknown on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering in connection with the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups".
Swiss police said they would question 10 Fifa executive committee members who participated in the votes that selected Russia and Qatar in December 2010. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said the investigation would not affect its hosting of the 2018 event, telling Associated Press: "We've got nothing to hide." The Russian foreign ministry added that the US investigation appeared to be an "illegal extraterritorial application" of US law.
Here is the list of soccer officials who were named in the indictment:
· Jeffrey Webb: Current FIFA vice president and executive committee member, CONCACAF president, Caribbean Football Union (CFU) executive committee member and Cayman Islands Football Association (CIFA) president.
· Eduardo Li: Current FIFA executive committee member-elect, CONCACAF executive committee member and Costa Rican soccer federation (FEDEFUT) president.
· Julio Rocha: Current FIFA development officer. Former Central American Football Union (UNCAF) president and Nicaraguan soccer federation (FENIFUT) president.
· Costas Takkas: Current attaché to the CONCACAF president. Former CIFA general secretary.
· Jack Warner: Former FIFA vice president and executive committee member, CONCACAF
president, CFU president and Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) special adviser.
· Eugenio Figueredo: Current FIFA vice president and executive committee member. Former CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) president and Uruguayan soccer federation (AUF) president.
· Rafael Esquivel: Current CONMEBOL executive committee member and Venezuelan soccer federation (FVF) president.
· José Maria Marin: Current member of the FIFA organizing committee for the Olympic football tournaments. Former CBF president.
· Nicolás Leoz: Former FIFA executive committee member and CONMEBOL president.
Source: via BBC
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