BERLIN — Switzerland’s justice ministry says it granted a US request to extradite Venezuelan football official Rafael Esquivel in a FIFA bribery investigation.
The justice department says Esquivel is “accused of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights to the Copa America tournaments in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023.”
Esquivel can appeal the decision within 30 days at Switzerland’s federal criminal court.
The former Venezuela football federation president was among seven men arrested May 27 in early-morning hotel raids in Zurich, two days before the FIFA presidential election.
He is the third person whose extradition to the US has been approved. Esquivel faces 20 years in prison on racketeering charges.
Warner ruling Friday
Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner will learn Friday whether a court will proceed with hearings that could see him eventually extradited to the US to face charges over a corruption scandal sweeping football’s world governing body.
Warner, 72, who is fighting extradition from his native Trinidad, was indicted in May by a US grand jury on 12 charges of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering.
US authorities have charged 14 FIFA officials and sports marketing executives of soliciting and receiving more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks over two decades.
Warner says that the US case against him is politically motivated and that America is trying to exact revenge because it lost out to Qatar in the vote to host the 2022 World Cup.
Club World Cup schedule
Barcelona will begin its quest for the Club World Cup title against either Club America of Mexico or the Asian Champions League winner.
Barcelona has a bye in the first round and will start in the semifinals on Dec. 17 in Yokohama.
River Plate of Argentina, the Copa Libertadores champion in South America, will also begin in the semifinals. It will play in Osaka against the African Champions League winner, Auckland City of New Zealand or the J-League winner.
Auckland City, the Oceania Champions League champion, opens the tournament on Dec. 10 against the J-League winner. All seven qualified teams will be known by November. The tournament’s draw took place at FIFA’s headquarters Wednesday. — Agencies
