The 56-year-old president of Costa Rica’s national football federation built himself into a regional and international figure in the sport. But U.S. authorities say that with that rise came the temptations of a vast criminal conspiracy outlined in a sweeping indictment of FIFA.
As many amateur humorists on social media noted Wednesday morning, there's a certain appropriateness to the United States having been the country to articulate and disrupt alleged corruption within the governing body of international football. Here's why they can do it.
The U.S. was not successful. Instead, Qatar — a small, wealthy emirate on the Persian Gulf — became the first Arab country to be awarded the event. And almost immediately the decision to place a summer football tournament in a country where daytime temperatures in those months often exceed 120 degrees drew fierce criticism — and deep suspicion.
The acting president of the Costa Rican Football Federation (FEDEFUTBOL), Jorge Hidalgo described the news of Eduardo Li’s arrest as shocking, and “like the Turrialba Volcano finally erupted on all of us.”
Tens of millions of dollars had been discovered hidden away in offshore accounts in Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands and Switzerland, said Richard Weber, chief of the U.S. tax agency's criminal investigation division.
NEW YORK – Once the most important man in U.S. soccer, Charles "Chuck" Blazer turned on FIFA to become the central figure in a wide-ranging graft investigation that threatened Wednesday to bring the sport's world governing body to its knees.
Following the early-morning arrest Wednesday of several FIFA leaders, including Costa Rican Eduardo Li, in a massive corruption probe spearheaded by the United States Justice Department, Costa Rica has now opened a money laundering probe into Li's assets here, a high-ranking Costa Rican justice official told The Tico Times.
Eduardo Li, a FIFA executive committee member from Costa Rica, was among seven people arrested at the luxury Zurich hotel where they were preparing for a congress starting Thursday. All now face deportation to the United States on charges of accepting more than $100 million in bribes.
"We continue to be troubled by the reports coming out of Qatar related to the World Cup and migrant worker conditions," credit card giant Visa said in a statement.
Costa Rica’s National Football Team, known as "La Sele," rose three spots to 13th on FIFA's World Rankings, its best position ever, according to the most recent list released Thursday.
