Dem senator: Take World Cup from Russia

A Democratic senator is urging FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, to take the 2018 World Cup away from Russia after the Justice Department brought charges in a corruption probe.

“I applaud today’s actions and am especially pleased that Swiss and U.S. authorities are investigating FIFA’s granting of the World Cup to Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022,” Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said in a statement to The Hill.

“I have long been concerned about FIFA’s selection of Russia and today’s announcement only underscores the need for FIFA to elect a president who will not only uphold FIFA’s values, but will ensure FIFA does not reward countries that do not uphold these values as well,” he added. 

{mosads}Justice Department officials unveiled a 47-count indictment against nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives on Wednesday on charges including racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. The indictment alleges that executives paid $150 million in “bribes and kickbacks” to obtain media and marketing rights to soccer tournaments.

The U.S. is seeking to extradite those indicted, and Swiss authorities arrested seven in connection with the probe early Wednesday. Swiss officials are conducting another probe into FIFA’s decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

FIFA’s longtime president, Sepp Blatter, who oversaw the awarding of those two tournaments, was not named in the DOJ indictment. He is up for reelection and expected to win his fifth term in a FIFA vote on Friday.

Lawmakers have long called for Blatter to step down, though, citing allegations of corruption at FIFA during his tenure.

In a letter to the FIFA Congress dated May 22 and released Tuesday, Menendez and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called on the governing body to elect a new leader, pointing to Russia’s actions against Ukraine.

“More than 40 countries, all FIFA members, have imposed sanctions on Russia in an effort to influence events on the ground in Ukraine,” they wrote. “By allowing Russia to host the tournament, FIFA would offer an economic lifeline to the Putin regime in contravention of the multilateral sanctions that have been imposed by the international community.”

Menendez is facing his own legal troubles after being indicted by the DOJ on 14 counts of corruption. He temporarily stepped down as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April.

Menendez wrote directly to Blatter in a letter signed by a dozen other lawmakers, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), calling on the FIFA head to step down.

On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the American indictments, accusing the Obama administration of overstepping its legal authority.

In a statement posted to the FIFA website, Blatter said the organization “welcomes” the U.S. and Swiss actions. 

“This is a difficult time for football, the fans and for FIFA as an organization,” he said in a statement. “We understand the disappointment that many have expressed and I know that the events of today will impact the way in which many people view us.”