Venezuelan Football Federation Chief Rafael Esquivel Headed to the US
Soccer News: Swiss authorities have approved the extradition to the USA of Rafael Esquivel, a senior figure in South American football who was arrested in Zurich during a police swoop before FIFA‘s Congress in May.
Esquivel, the former president of the Venezuelan Football Federation and an executive committee member of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) faces 20 years in prison. 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.
He has 30 days in which to lodge an appeal. Esquivel was arrested in Zurich along with six other FIFA officials on May 27, on the basis of an arrest request from the US. He has been in custody since then pending extradition.
Of the seven people arrested, former FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands agreed to be sent to the USA, where he is now on bail. The Swiss authorities last week approved the extradition of another former FIFA vice-president, Eugenio Figueredo from Uruguay. He was also given 30 days in which to appeal.
