Outgoing FIFA chief Sepp Blatter under investigation in FBI corruption case, claim reports in USA
Outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter is reportedly being investigated by the FBI and US prosecutors as part of the probe that led to last week’s corruption and racketeering indictments
For days the Swiss had moved to distance himself from the controversy, but several American officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said he was being looked at along with those already arrested.
Prosecutors are said to be hoping to win the cooperation of some of the FIFAofficials now under indictment and work their way up the organisation.
One source told America's ABC news: “Now that people are going to want to save themselves, there’s probably a race to see who will flip on [Blatter] first.
“We may not be able to collapse the whole organization but maybe you don’t need to."
US prosecutors launched a criminal inquiry last week, with seven FIFA officials arrested in Switzerland.
Two days after the arrests, Blatter was re-elected president of FIFA to the dismay ofthe English FA.
US authorities sanctioned the arrests accusing the suspects of planning their alleged crimes in the America.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch accused the suspects of using the States's banking system to pay bribes and "planned to profit from their scheme in large part through promotional efforts directed at the growing US market for soccer."
Blatter, who was not indicted by the Justice Department, said he will serve as president until a new one is elected.
Last week the US Department of Justice accused 14 people of corruption and racketeering conspiracy in a 47-count indictment.
In total nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives were accused, including two current FIFA vice presidents and the current and former presidents of CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football), Jeffrey Webb and Jack Warner.
When contacted by the Mirror, a spokesman for the FBI declined to comment on Blatter, saying he has not been publicly identified as a target of the investigation.
Sepp Blatter’s daughter Corinne has said her father’s decision to quit had ‘nothing to do with the accusations that are currently circulating’.
She told BBC’s Radio Five Live: “My wish now is for calm to be restored, both for my father and for world football.
“But above all I wish for the world to finally acknowledge the great things he has done for football in the last 40 years.”
source:daily mirror
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