FIFA's darkest day: 'Illegal payments, kickbacks and bribes became a way of doing business' says FBI Director after SEVEN officials are arrested in dawn raid as football goes into meltdown

FIFA in crisis as SEVEN executives including vice president are held in Zurich hotel raid over £100m bribes claim 

One of the seven FIFA officials arrested walks from the Baur du Lac hotel following a dawn police raid 

FIFA was plunged into crisis on Wednesday after Swiss authorities arrested seven football officials in a dawn raid at a luxury Zurich hotel and two separate corruption investigations were launched. 

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice have opened criminal proceedings in connection with the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on allegations of 'criminal mismanagement and money laundering.' 

In a separate probe, the FBI will question those involved in bribes 'totalling more than $150m (£97.4m)' linked to commercial deals dating back to the 1990s for football tournaments in the United States and Latin America.

The United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the 'indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted both abroad and in the US.' 

FBI director James B. Comey said that 'undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks, and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA.' 

Fourteen people have been charged by the United States Department of Justice, including nine FIFA officials, as questioning by Swiss authorities began immediately.

Mobile phone footage shows one of the FIFA members being led out of the Baur au Lac hotel in the dawn raid

Electronic data was seized in a raid on FIFA's headquarters and bank documents have also been obtained from financial institutions and some accounts frozen as part of the inquiry.

FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio said this week's congress and Friday's presidential election will continue as planned. President Sepp Blatter is expected to win a fifth term in office. 

De Gregorio said Blatter, who was not detained, is 'relaxed' about the situation and claimed this was a 'good day' for world football's governing body.

Two separate proceedings are now underway, plunging FIFA into chaos.

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAS) is conducting the probe regarding the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The second criminal investigation is being led by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York concerning the allocation of media, marketing and sponsoring rights for football tournaments staged in North and Latin America dating back to the 1990s.  

The seven arrested in the dawn raid at the five-star Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich at the request of the US were:

·         Jeffrey Webb - the FIFA vice president and executive committee member from the Cayman Islands

·         Eugenio Figueredo - FIFA vice president and executive committee member from Uruguay

·         Eduardo Li - current FIFA executive committee member-elect and Costa Rica Football Association president

·         Julio Rocha - FIFA development officer and president of the Nicaragua FA

·         Costas Takkas - attache to the CONCACAF president

·         Rafael Esquivel - CONMEBOL executive committee member and Venezuela FA president

·         Jose Maria Marin - former president of the Brazilian FA 

FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb is among six officials known to be arrested in a dawn raid in Zurich

Webb shakes hands with FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the CONCACAF confederation meeting

Former FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer has already pleaded guilty to corruption charges

FBI director James B. Comey said 'illegal payments, kickbacks and bribes' became part of business at FIFA

The Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich where a number of FIFA officials were arrested on Wednesday

Much of the evidence has come from Blazer, a former member of the FIFA executive committee who turned 'supergrass' for the FBI and has repaid $1m. 

US Attorney General Lynch added that the corruption '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'. 

A simplified procedure will apply for those who agree to be immediately extradited and this will be approved by US authorities straight away.

If one of those arrested opposes their extradition, the US will submit a formal request for their extradition.  

Warner was the first to protest his innoncence despite his two sons already pleading guilty to the charges.

He said in a statement: 'I have been afforded no due process and I have not even been questioned in this matter. I reiterate that I am innocent of any charges. I have walked away from the politics of world football to immerse myself in the improvement of lives in this country where I shall, God willing, die.

'The actions of FIFA no longer concern me. I cannot help but note, however, that these cross-border coordinated actions come at a time when FIFA is assembled for elections to select a president who is universally disliked by the international community.

'At times such as this it is my experience that the large world powers typically take actions to affect world football. World football is an enormous international business.

'That is no longer my concern. My sole focus at this stage of my life is on the people of Trinidad and Tobago.' 

Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner is one of nine football officials indicted over corruption allegations

The Swiss Attorney General would like to question the FIFA executive committee members from 2010 still in place.

They are Issa Hayatou (Cameroon), Angel Maria Villar Llona (Spain), Michael D'Hooghe (Belgium), Senes Erzik (Turkey), Worawi Makudi (Thailand), Rafael Salguero (Guatamala), Marios Lefkaritis (Cyprus), Jacques Anouma (Ivory Coast), Harry Abo Rida (Egypt) and Vitaly Mutko (Russia).

Blatter and UEFA president Michel Platini, also on the committee at the time, will not be questioned yet.  

UEFA president Michel Platini said his governing body would meet to discuss the developments

Camera crews gathered outside the five-star Baur au Lac hotel following the raids on Wednesday morning

The detained FIFA officials were led away from the luxury hotel in Zurich just after dawn

The FBI raiding party arrived at the hotel at 6am and the last arrest was of Li, who was led from the building with a sheet over his head at 6.45am.

FIFA president Blatter was scheduled to make an appearance at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) congress at 10.30am on Wednesday morning but did not show up.

His next scheduled appearance is at a FIFA medical conference at 9.15am on Thursday. 

In a hastily convened press conference at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich, spokesman De Gregorio said: 'FIFA initiated this process. The timing may not be the best but FIFA welcomes this process and co-operates fully with the authorities.

'There are two separate investigations. It was a question of co-ordination. They had to co-ordinate and be as efficient as possible. The fact it happened two days before the congress, everyone is here and we have good international coverage.' 

FIFA president Sepp Blatter faces a presidential challenge from Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein

PROFILES OF THE FIFA OFFICIALS INDICTED

Jeffrey Webb - FIFA vice president and president of CONCACAF. The 50-year-old was born and lives in the Cayman Islands and is the Cayman Islands Football Association president.

Eugenio Figueredo - Former footballer and now Uruguayan FA executive. A former president of CONMEBOL, the South American football federation.

Jack Warner - Former FIFA vice president and president of CONCACAF from Trinidad and Tobago until he resigned from all his positions in international football in 2011.

Eduardo Li - president of the Costa Rican Football Association.

Julio Rocha - president of the Nicaraguan Football Federation.

Costas Takkas - a former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association.

Rafael Esquivel - president of the Venezuelan Football Federation since 1988.

Jose Maria Marin - vice president of the Brazil Football Federation and its former president. The CBF were the football organisation who handed out controversial £16,000 Parmigiani watches at their congress in Sao Paulo a year ago, when Marin was the overlord of the association.

Nicolas Leoz - Former CONMEBOL president between 1986 and 2013. He allegedly wanted the FA Cup named after him in exchange for a vote for England in their attempts to host the 2018 World Cup.