Swiss authorities arrested officials with FIFA, soccer's international governing body, in connection with a federal corruption investigation, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
According to three senior U.S. law enforcement officials, the indictments to be unsealed will focus on allegations of bribery and corruption by current and former FIFA board members in connection with awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. The United States was a runner-up to Qatar in the final vote.
Six soccer officials were arrested, according to a statement by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice. The officials were detained pending extradition at the request of the United States.
According to the FOJ statement, the investigation involves "suspicion of the acceptance of bribes and kick-backs between the early 1990s and the present day," totaling more than $100 million.
Additionally, electronic data and documents were seized at FIFA's head office in Zurich, the FOJ said in a subsequent statement.
News of the arrests was first reported by The New York Times.
Full details of the investigation are scheduled to be unveiled during a 10:30 a.m. news conference in Brooklyn. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey are scheduled to attend.
The arrests come days ahead of FIFA congress and presidential election in Zurich, where Sepp Blatter is bidding for a fifth term as FIFA President. Blatter – who has served as president for 17 years – has never been implicated in personal corruption and was not among the officials arrested, but his tenure has been marked by numerous scandals.
Before Qatar won its bid for the 2022 World Cup, soccer federation officials were warned in advanced about the potentially dangerous heat in Qatar that makes its capital of Doha look like a ghost town during the day. The country is one of the hottest places on earth -- where daytime temperatures regularly reach 124 degrees.
They were also told about allegations by human rights groups of what the groups called medieval conditions for migrant workers there that could cost the lives of hundreds tasked to build the new World Cup stadiums.
But those troubles were ignored in the final vote that came down to Qatar and the U.S., which had named 18 potential host cities. The U.S. lost.
Not long after the vote, allegations surfaced that some FIFA members had been bribed to vote for Qatar. FIFA later launched an internal investigation into the allegations, with Qatar cleared of any major violations.