US indicts 16 more suspects in FIFA corruption case

The United States has announced new charges against 16 suspects from Latin America in the massive FIFA corruption scandal, including some of the most high-ranking officials in the sport.

The United States Justice Department announced the indictments on Thursday after another series of early morning raids at a luxury hotel in Zurich, Switzerland, where top Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) officials had gathered.

The president of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), Juan Angel Napout, and Alfredo Hawit, head of the North, Central American and Caribbean ruling body (CONCACAF), were also among those arrested on Thursday.   

Five current and former members of the ruling executive committee of FIFA were among 16 officials indicted on corruption charges on Thursday. Ricardo Teixeira, the former head of the Brazilian Football Confederation and a former FIFA vice-president was also indicted.

"The betrayal of trust set forth here is outrageous," US Attorney General Loretta Lynch told reporters in Washington. "The scale of corruption alleged herein is unconscionable."

"The message of this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows, hoping to evade this ongoing investigation. You will not wait it out and you will not escape our focus," she added.

Lynch stated that eight more officials indicted since authorities launched first raids in Switzerland in May had now pleaded guilty.

"I can report eight additional defendants have agreed to plead guilty for their involvement in the corruption scheme," she said.

Napout and Hawit, who are in Switzerland, are suspected of accepting millions of dollars in bribes in return for providing marketing rights for regional tournaments and World Cup qualifying matches, the US indictment alleged.

Lynch denounced claims by FIFA's suspended President Sepp Blatter that US authorities had launched an investigation after the United States failed to win a bid for the 2022 World Cup.

"I think (Blatter) is well aware of the nature of our charges," she said. "This covers years of conduct by dozens and dozens of people from the past into the future. I called it outrageous and unconscionable. That still stands."

The Ethics Committee of FIFA suspended Blatter for three months in October. “This is provisional for 90 days but he is not actually suspended. The committee has not yet made a decision and their meetings continue,” said Blatter's former adviser, Klauss Stohlker.

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