'FIFA thoroughly corrupt, Blatter should resign'

Guatemala City, May 28 (IANS)

Transparency International (TI) President Jose Ugaz called FIFA "completely corrupt" on the heels of the scandal uncovered in the sports body.

Seven senior FIFA officials were arrested on Wednesday, reports Efe.

Transparency International (TI) is an international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), founded in Germany in 1993, that monitors and publicises corporate and political corruption in international development.

"FIFA is completely corrupt. It is not Latin America's problem or that of the Caribbean," Ugaz said on Wednesday after a meeting on transparency here.

The Peruvian lawyer said TI is talking to FIFA president Joseph Blatter about an independent commission to investigate corruption linked to the organisation.

"Blatter should resign and comply with the investigations," he said.

Swiss police arrested the FIFA officials at the request of the US judiciary to face major fraud, money-laundering and other charges. They will be detained in Switzerland until a decision is made regarding their deportation to the United States.

In Ugaz's opinion, Wednesday's arrests were the first step towards bringing down just one amongst many similarly corrupt networks linked to the sport.

Those detained in Switzerland include Eugenio Figueredo (Uruguay), Eduardo Li (Costa Rica), Jose Maria Marin (Brazil), Julio Rocha (Nicaragua), Costas Takkas (Britain), Rafael Esquivel (Venezuela) and former CONACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football) president Jeffrey Webb.