Fifa corruption probes and Swiss arrests mark a 'sad day for football' - Twitter disagrees
There has been a huge social media reaction to the arrests
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Your support makes all the difference.The US has brought corruption charges against 14 Fifa officials, prompting dawn raids in Switzerland on what Sepp Blatter rival Prince Ali of Jordan has called a “sad day for football”.
Fifa has said it is “seeking clarity on the situation”, while the governing body’s director of communications said its president, Mr Blatter, was not arrested and “not involved at all” in the investigation.
But while Fifa reflected on a dark day for its officials and saw its Zurich headquarters raided by police, there was a very different reaction from many fans on social media.
Who has been arrested
The names of those arrested at a five-star hotel in Zurich are yet to be confirmed, but the New York Times has named the Fifa officials listed in the US indictment.
They are: Jeffrey Webb, Eugenio Figueredo, Jack Warner, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Rafael Esquivel, José Maria Marin and Nicolás Leoz.
What other investigations are taking place
In addition to the US corruption charges, which relate to “tournaments in the United States” and date back to 1991, a separate probe has been launched by the Swiss Attorney General.
That investigation will look at the allocation of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, to Russia and Qatar respectively. Swiss prosecutors have raided the Zurich HQ of Fifa, and 10 Fifa committee members will be questioned over their role in voting for the host nations.
Reaction from Fifa
Reaction from everyone else
Fifa were due to hold a press conference at 11am in Zurich local time.
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