Sixteen more FIFA officials are arrested

US officials investigating corruption within FIFA have arrested 16 more officials including a former head of the Brazilian Football Federation.

In May, under instruction from the US Department of Justice, 14 officials were arrested and charged in Switzerland as the scale of corruption comes to the surface.

Investigations into the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and 2022 to Qatar triggered the arrests amid claims that votes were bought for cash while other countries spent fortunes on failed bids.

Former Brazil football federation chief Ricardo Teixeira was among those accused of being “involved in criminal schemes involving well over $200m (£132m) in bribes and kickbacks”.

US attorney general Loretta Lynch said: “The betrayal of trust set forth here is outrageous. The scale of corruption alleged herein is unconscionable.

“And the message from this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows, hoping to evade our investigation: you will not wait us out; you will not escape our focus.”

The current and former senior football executives charged are:

• Alfredo Hawit – Concacaf president

• Ariel Alvarado – ex-Panamanian football official

• Rafael Callejas – former president of Honduras football

• Brayan Jimenez – Guatemala FA chief

• Rafael Salguero – Guatemalan Fifa executive committee member

• Hector Trujillo – general secretary of Guatemala FA

• Reynaldo Vasquez – former El Salvador FA president

• Juan Angel Napout – Conmebol president

• Manuel Burga – former Peru FA president

• Carlos Chavez – Bolivia football president

• Luis Chiriboga – Ecuador football president

• Marco Polo del Nero – Brazil football president

• Eduardo Deluca – Conmebol general secretary

• Jose Luis Meiszner – former Conmebol secretary general

• Romer Osuna – Bolivia football audit and compliance committee chief

• Ricardo Teixeira – former Brazil FA chief

UEFA President Michel Platini had hoped to replace Sepp Blatter in charge of FIFA but his hopes appear dead in the water after he was suspended by FIFA as they investigate payments made to him from FIFA.