A Swiss court denied a request by a FIFA official arrested in Zurich last month to be released pending his extradition to the U.S. because he is considered a flight risk.
The FIFA official, who wasn't identified, has no close ties to Switzerland and is more than capable of traveling long distances to flee, the Federal Penal Tribunal said in a statement Friday. While the Swiss tribunal didn't name the official, it referenced his Uruguayan citizenship and the only Uruguayan named in the U.S. indictment was Eugenio Figueredo.
Swiss police arrested seven soccer executives in dawn raids at Zurich hotels last month after U.S. warrants were issued on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering. The arrests and allegations of corruption in international soccer prompted FIFA president Sepp Blatter to announce plans to step down days later.