Ex-FIFA Vice-President Jeffrey Webb has pleaded not guilty in the US in connection with a massive corruption scandal in the world soccer governing body.
Jeffrey Webb, from the Cayman Islands, was placed under house arrest on $10 million bail by a New York judge.
He is accused of accepting bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights.
Jeffrey Webb was detained in Switzerland in May, along with six football officials, and was this week extradited to the US.
He was the only one not to contest his extradition from Switzerland and the first to appear in an American court.
Jeffrey Webb must remain at home within a 20-mile radius of the court, his movements will be monitored via an electronic tag and he has already relinquished his three passports, two of which are UK passports.
His lawyer has declined to comment.
Jeffrey Webb, 50, has been provisionally banned as FIFA vice-president. He is also the former president of the Central and North American football federation (CONCACAF).
The other six people arrested are fighting their extradition to the US, where the charges were laid.
The men were held at the request of the Department of Justice, which has indicted a total of 14 current and former FIFA officials and associates on charges of “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted” corruption following a major inquiry by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The investigation was initially sparked by the bidding process for the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, but was widened to look back at the dealings of world football’s governing body over the past 20 years.
The Department of Justice’s indictment says that the corruption was planned in the US, and that American banks were used to transfer money.
The US has asked Switzerland to extradite seven FIFA officials arrested on corruption charges in May, the Swiss authorities say.
Formal extradition requests were submitted on July 1, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said.
The seven top executives arrested in Zurich are among 14 FIFA officials indicted on charges of “rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted” corruption.
The charges follow a major inquiry by the FBI.
The FOJ said Zurich police, acting on its behalf, would give the seven officials a hearing over the extradition requests.
The officials and their lawyers would have 14 days to respond to the request, which could be extended, the FOJ statement said.
After that, the FOJ would give its decision “within a few weeks”, but warned that any ruling could be challenged in both the federal criminal court and the federal supreme court.
Photo Getty Images
Jeffrey Webb, FIFA vice-president in charge of North and Central America, was among those arrested by Swiss police in a raid on a luxury hotel in the early hours of May 27.
The seven are among 14 defendants the US has charged with racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracies.
In a 47-count indictment unveiled in a New York federal court, they were accused of taking part “in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer”.
The indictment alleges that US and South American sports marketing executives paid and agreed to pay “well over $150 million” in bribes and other illegal payments to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to football tournaments.
The corruption was planned in the US, the indictment said. The use of US banks to transfer money appears to have been key to the investigation.
The charges follow a three-year FBI investigation. It was initially sparked by the bidding process for the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, but was then widened to look back at FIFA’s dealings over two decades.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has not been indicted, although both the US and Swiss authorities have said they may interview him as part of their investigations.
Football teams could be relegated or expelled from competitions for serious incidents of racism after tough new powers were voted in by FIFA.
First or minor offences will result in either a warning, fine or order for a match to be played behind closed doors.
Serious or repeat offences can now be punished by a points deduction, expulsion or relegation.
Jeffrey Webb, head of FIFA’s anti-racism task force, said the decision was “a defining moment”.
He added: “Our football family is fully aware that what is reported in the media is actually less than 1% of the incidents that happen around the world.
“We’ve got to take action so that when we look to the next 20 or 50 years this will be the defining time that we took action against racism and discrimination.”
FIFA, world football’s governing body, passed the anti-racism resolution with a 99% majority at its congress in Mauritius.
Jeffrey Webb said of the vote against the measures: “I would like to think it was a mistake but I’m glad it wasn’t the other way. I’m glad only 1% went that way.”
Nonetheless, FIFA president Sepp Blatter accepted more must be done to eradicate racism.
Football teams could be relegated or expelled from competitions for serious incidents of racism after tough new powers were voted in by FIFA
He said: “We need zero tolerance and strict punishments everywhere. We must lead. We must set a tough, uncompromising example.
“We can make a difference. We can send a strong signal to the racists that their time is up.”
FIFA commissioned a task force to address the issue of racism after a friendly game between AC Milan and Pro Patria was abandoned due to racist chanting.
Their verdict includes putting an official inside the stadium to identify potential acts of racism and ease the pressure on the match referee.
The new rulings standardise punishment across the members, meaning federations will lose the power to impose their own judgements.
Further to the regulations that relate to clubs or international teams, the new measures will see any individual who commits a racist offence banned from stadiums for a minimum of five matches.
The five-match suspension is one that has been introduced by the Football Association, whose chairman David Bernstein sat on the task force in Mauritius.
Also on the task force was Kevin-Prince Boateng, the AC Milan player who led the walk-off in the game against Pro Patria in January.
Former England international striker Luther Blissett, an ambassador for anti-racism charity Show Racism The Red Card, admitted to reservations about the new measures.
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