Swiss authorities have arrested six senior Fifa executives following an early-morning raid at the luxury Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich.
The individuals were detained at the request of US authorities on suspicion of accepting bribes worth millions of dollars.
As world football’s governing body gathered to elect a new president; Swiss law enforcement officers entered the hotel and demanded keys to the rooms.
The accused were then led out of the building and into unmarked vehicles.
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice says the individuals will be questioned and detained pending extradition to the US.
Those arrested are accused of accepting bribes between the early 1990s and the present day.
The charges include racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud.
A Fifa spokesperson said the body was “seeking clarity.”
The arrests will come as huge blow to Sepp Blatter, Fifa’s longtime president, despite the fact the body has been dogged by accusations of bribery for years.
