Ex-Venezuelan football president extradited

Another FIFA executive arrested in Switzerland on corruption charges has been extradited to the United States. Rafael Esquivel, a former higher-up in both the Venezuelan and South American football organisations, left Switzerland for New York on Monday.  Esquivel was one of seven FIFA officials arrested on May 27, 2015 following a United States Justice Department investigation into corruption at the world football governing body. His extradition to the US was approved by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice on September 23 of last year. Esquivel appealed the extradition twice, once to Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court in early 2016 and again to the Federal Supreme Court when the first appeal was rejected. In February, he notified authorities the he had withdrawn his second appeal and wished to be extradited to the US. Esquivel faces a criminal investigation in the US related to money laundering and mismanagement. He has been accused of accepting bribes to ...