A FIFA official confirmed that the Swiss Attorney General’s office seized IT data relating to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups from FIFA’s headquarters Wednesday.
Swiss prosecutors seized electronic data from the offices of now former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and FIFA’s Gerneral Secretary Jerome Valcke’s at the organization's headquarters in Zurich, BuzzFeed News confirmed.
The Attorney General’s office had previously opened criminal proceedings as "it is suspected that irregularities occurred in the allocation of the FIFA World Cups of 2018 and 2022."
Blatter stepped down as the organization’s president less than a week after being re-elected, saying the resignation will allow him “to focus on driving far-reaching, fundamental reforms that transcend our previous efforts.” Blatter is not being investigated by the Swiss authorities.
This is the second time the Swiss Attorney General confiscated electronic data and documents in two weeks. On May 27, FIFA delivered data requested by the attorney general to assist with criminal proceedings.
The bidding process for the 2026 World Cup, which was due to begin soon with a vote in 2017, has been suspended.