Top soccer officials held in dawn raid as US corruption inquiry rocks FIFA

The detention at dawn of several FIFA leaders and a corruption raid on its headquarters on Wednesday rocked world soccer's governing body two days before its leader, Sepp Blatter, seeks a new term.

Two FIFA vice-presidents were among seven people arrested in an early-morning operation at the luxury Zurich hotel where they were preparing for a congress starting on Thursday. All now face deportation to the United States on charges of accepting more than $100 million in bribes.

US authorities said nine soccer officials are among 14 people facing charges over alleged corruption.

Separately, Swiss police seized files and e-mails at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich as part of an investigation into the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

The 2010 vote by FIFA that awarded the events has been surrounded by widespread allegations of fraud. However, a spokesman said on Wednesday that there was no question of changing the venues.

FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio said Blatter is not involved in the investigations and the presidential vote will be held as planned on Friday.

"The timing is not great," de Gregorio told reporters. But he added that "FIFA welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing" in soccer.

Blatter has been the overwhelming favorite to win a fifth term as the head of the multibillion-dollar body, but Wednesday's events could swing many votes.

His only challenger, Prince Ali bin al Hussein, a FIFA vice-president from Jordan, called the arrests "a sad day for football".

Prince Ali and European federation chiefs say a change of leadership is now urgently needed to save FIFA's tainted image.

The FIFA spokesman said Blatter was "relaxed" about any future fallout from the investigation.

"He isn't dancing in his office," de Gregorio said. "He is very, very calm, he sees what happens. He is fully cooperative with everybody."

Swiss police gave a surprise 6 am wake-up call to FIFA Vice-President Jeffrey Webb, from the Cayman Islands, and the other six officials at the luxury Baur au Lac hotel. A US Department of Justice statement said seven people were detained.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the investigation "spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks".

Webb is head of the North and Central American soccer confederation and a long-standing ally of Blatter's.

Eduardo Li, a FIFA executive committee member from Costa Rica, and Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo, president of South America's governing body, were also among those detained.

The Swiss Justice Ministry said US authorities suspect the arrested officials of having received or paid bribes totaling millions of dollars and that the crimes were agreed to and prepared in the US, and payments carried out via US banks.