The Swiss Federal Office of Justice has authorised the extradition of Venezuelan FIFA official Rafael Esquivel to face corruption charges in the United States, it said in a statement on Wednesday. Esquivel, 69, was arrested in Zurich on May 27 as part of a US-led investigation into corruption at world football's tainted governing body FIFA.
The former Venezuelan Football Federation president and South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) official, who has been in prison since May, has 30 days to appeal the decision to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court, the FOJ statement said. Esquivel is suspected of "accepting bribes for the award of sports marketing contracts" which "massively influenced the competitive situation and distorted the market for media rights in connection with the Copa America". Those bribes were allegedly "worth millions of dollars" and related to the 2007, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023 Copa America tournaments.
"Other sports marketing companies were placed at a disadvantage, and the affected football federations were prevented from negotiating more favourable marketing agreements. In Switzerland, such conduct would be deemed unfair practices under the Federal Act on Unfair Competition," continued the statement. The FOJ said that all conditions for extradition had been fulfilled, namely that "the facts laid down in the US extradition request are also punishable under Swiss law".
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