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Li entered his plea in the late afternoon and remains in
custody, according to Li's lawyer and a spokeswoman for U.S.
prosecutors.
The U.S. Department of Justice issued an indictment in May for
Li, accusing him of taking bribes in connection with the sale of
marketing rights for World Cup 2018 qualifying games.
Li, a Costa Rican citizen, was one of seven officials from world
soccer's governing body taken into custody in a dawn raid on a
luxury Zurich hotel on May 27.
He initially fought extradition, but agreed to come to the
United States to face charges earlier this month.
U.S. prosecutors say Li asked for and received hundreds of
thousands of dollars in bribes from sports marketing companies
in exchange for commercial rights to World Cup qualifier
matches.
Prosecutors have charged 41 people and entities this year in a
probe of soccer corruption spanning the globe, with federations
in the Americas the hardest hit so far as Swiss and U.S.
authorities investigate. The corruption allegations prompted
FIFA President Sepp Blatter to say he would resign, only days
after being re-elected to a fifth term. Blatter has not been
charged with a crime, and denies any wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Brendan Pierson in New York; Additional reporting
by Mica Rosenberg and Dave Ingram; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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