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PFF PRESIDENT ARANETA SAYS FIFA PRESIDENT BLATTER NOT INVOLVED IN SCANDAL FOLLOWING ARREST OF OFFICIALS PhilBoxing.com Thu, 28 May 2015 The president of the Philippine Football Federation says FIFA president Sepp Blatter who is seeking another term in elections to be held on Friday, is not involved in the scandal that has rocked the world governing body for football two days before the elections. Mariano "Nonong" ArRaneta told the New Standard/Viva Sports that the probe by the US Department of Justice has been going on since 1991 but that "despite the arrests, the Congress and the elections will push through as scheduled." Araneta said that Blatter "is not involved" but told us "it might hurt his chances" for election to a fifth term. BBC Sports reported that several Fifa officials, including vice-president Jeffrey Webb, had been arrested on suspicion of corruption in dawn raids at a Zurich hotel. The members of world football's governing body were held by Swiss police at the US Department of Justice's request. The BBC said "They are suspected of having received millions of US dollars in bribes" and that Swiss authorities have also begun criminal proceedings into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and will question 10 executive committee members who took part in voting in December 2010. Fifa president Sepp Blatter, seeking a fifth term in charge of the organisation when he stands for re-election on Friday, was not one of those arrested in Zurich on Wednesday morning. Nine current and former Fifa officials were named on the US Department of Justice's indictment. They were identified as: Jeffrey Webb: current Fifa vice-president Jack Warner: former Fifa vice-president Eduardo Li: Costa Rican federation president Julio Rocha: current Fifa development officer Costas Takkas: current attach? to the Concacaf president. Eugenio Figueredo: current Fifa vice-president Rafael Esquivel: current Conmebol executive committee member Jos? Maria Marin: current member of the Fifa organising committee for the Olympic football tournaments Nicol?s Leoz: former Fifa executive committee member and Conmebol president. According to New York attorney General Loretta Lynch, the indictment "alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and in the United States". BBC Sport reported that Swiss authorities began their operation to arrest Fifa officials at the exclusive Baur au Lac hotel, pending their extradition to the US. The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said those held were being investigated "on suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and the present day" and that the b ribes and kickbacks totaled more than $100 million. According to reports in the US, former high-ranking Fifa official Chuck Blazer became an FBI co-operating witness and was given a wiretap used in a series of meetings in London in the summer of 2012. Blatter is to go head-to-head against Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan in Friday's presidential election. Following a meeting with his advisors on the impact of the arrests on the upcoming vote, Prince Ali said: "Today is a sad day for football. |
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