Interpol Issues Red Notice for FIFA Officials

Published: 03 June 2015

Sepp Blatter and Barack Obama in 2009

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Interpol has put out a red notice on six people linked to the unfolding FIFA bribery scandal, as the organization’s embattled president Sepp Blatter stepped down under intense international pressure.

The red notices, requested by the United States, target two former FIFA officials and four corporate executives tied to the ongoing graft storm. They are sought on charges of racketeering, conspiracy and corruption.

Red notices are not arrest warrants, but indicate that a person is wanted for arrest and extradition to another member country of Interpol.

As the fallout from the FIFA affair grew, Blatter yesterday announced his intention to resign at a press conference in Zurich.

The international football organization’s president of 17 years had previously spoken in defiance of detractors. He was reelected to his position last Friday despite concerns about his suitability.

The reason for his change of heart is not known.

While Blatter has not been implicated in any criminal cases, sources in the US media claim that he is under investigation by prosecutors and the FBI.

The press conference came just hours after news broke that Blatter’s deputy Jerome Valcke had been linked by the New York Times to a US$ 10 million payment flagged up by a US indictment as a potentially corrupt transaction.