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 They did not name the official, but the news came six days after a
source told Reuters that Jeffrey Webb - one of seven current and
former FIFA employees arrested in Switzerland in May - had agreed
not to fight his extradition.
The allegations under investigation by U.S. and Swiss authorities
cover bribery, fraud and money laundering, including possible
corruption in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia
and Qatar respectively.
They have rocked the administration of the world's most popular
sport, raised questions for the game's powerful commercial sponsors,
and forced FIFA President Sepp Blatter to announce he will step
down.
A Swiss justice official said: "The first of the seven FIFA
officials being held in custody in Switzerland was extradited to the
U.S. on 15 July.
"He was handed over to a three-man U.S. police escort in Zurich who
accompanied him on the flight to New York."
 Webb and the six others were arrested by Swiss police in a dawn raid
on a luxury Zurich hotel two days before a FIFA Congress in May
where Blatter was re-elected for a fifth term.
An indictment unsealed by U.S. prosecutors in Brooklyn charged
soccer officials and marketing executives with exploiting the sport
for their own gain through bribes of $150 million over 24 years.
Amid an international uproar, Blatter announced days later he would
lay down his mandate at an extraordinary FIFA Congress which will
take place between December and February, and would not stand again.
[to top of second column] |
Webb, a citizen of the Cayman Islands, is charged with racketeering
conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering. He has been
provisionally banned from his posts at FIFA and CONCACAF, the
Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association
Football.
Neither his lawyer nor a U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman
responded to requests for comment on Thursday.
The U.S. indictment describes Webb as using his influential
positions to solicit bribes from sports marketing companies in
exchange for the commercial rights to soccer matches.
Six other officials -- Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Eugenio Figueredo,
Rafael Esquivel, Jose Maria Marin and Costas Takkas -- remain
detained in Switzerland and are contesting their extradition.
(Additional reporting by Brian Homewood and Nate Raymond; Editing by
Mark Trevelyan)
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