FIFA: Swiss authorise the extradition to the United States of Venezuelan official Rafael Esquivel

"The Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) has approved the extradition of Rafael Esquivel to the USA. The Venezuelan citizen has 30 days in which to appeal to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court against the FOJ's ruling," said the FOJ (Swiss Federal Office of Justice) on 23/09/2015.

The Venezuelan Rafael Esquivel (69 years old), currently suspended from his duties as president of the Venezuelan Federation and a former executive member of CONMEBOL, was one of the seven leaders arrested in Zurich (SUI) on 27/05/2015 for extradition to the United States. "Esquivel is accused of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars in connection with the sale of marketing rights to the Copa América tournaments in 2007, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023," said the FOJ.

Rafael Esquivel is the second of the six executives arrested on 27/05/2015 who refused to be extradited (Jeffrey Webb, former president of CONCACAF, himself had accepted his extradition), by Switzerland to the United States. The first was the Uruguayan Eugenio Figueredo (83 years old), former vice president of CONMEBOL and outgoing vice-president…