Raid on Fifa amid enrichment claims

SWISS investigators have searched the Fifa headquarters as the world football governing body revealed that former president Sepp Blatter and two of his deputies awarded themselves more than $80-million in often suspicious payments over the past five years.

On a day that Fifa also had to deny reports that new president Gianni Infantino was under investigation, it said Blatter, former secretary-general Jerome Valcke and finance director Markus Kattner made a coordinated effort to “enrich themselves” and that Swiss and US authorities were being informed.

Blatter is serving a six-year suspension over a à1.8-million payment made to former Fifa vice-president Michel Platini. Valcke and Kattner have both been fired in recent months over World Cup ticket scandals and payments.

Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said its investigators “carried out a search of Fifa’s headquarters” on Thursday as part of its inquiry into Fifa’s mismanagement and the awarding of World Cups.

“Documents and electronic data were seized and will now be examined to determine their relevance to the ongoing proceedings,” said the OAG.

Fifa said the search had concentrated on Kattner’s office.

A Fifa statement said that some of the contracts agreed to by Blatter, Valcke and Kattner “appear to violate Swiss law”.

“The evidence appears to reveal a coordinated effort by three former top officials of Fifa to enrich themselves through annual salary increases, World Cup bonuses and other incentives totalling more than 79-million Swiss francs — in just the last five years,” said Bill Burck, a partner with the Quinn Emmanuel audit firm.

“The investigation has produced evidence of breaches of fiduciary duty. It also raises questions about the role of Fifa’s compensation subcommittee.”

The revelations have raised new questions about the scope of corruption in world football.

Burck said the information has been passed on to Swiss prosecutors and will also be sent to US judicial authorities. —