Fifa corruption scandal: First executive extradited to US following bribery arrests

The first of the seven Fifa executives arrested in Switzerland as part of the multimillion pound corruption investigation has been extradited to the US.

The Swiss Federal Office of Justice did not name the official flown to New York escorted by police, but it is reported to be former vice president Jeffrey Webb.

Webb, who was also the ex-president of the Concacaf regional football federation, was one of those arrested in Zurich in May accused of "accepting bribes totalling millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights to various sports marketing firms and keeping the money for himself".

The other six Fifa officials arrested as part of the corruption investigation, including former executive Jack Warner, are currently fighting extradition to the US to face the charges.

"The first of the seven Fifa officials being held in custody in Switzerland was extradited to the US on 15 July," the justice office said. "He was handed over to a three-man US police escort in Zurich who accompanied him on the flight to New York."

The seven Fifa executives are among 14 football officials charged with corruption and bribery allegations involving football tournaments held over the past 20 years in the FBI investigation. Swiss authorities have also launched a separate criminal investigation into the handing of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.