World football was rocked to its core yesterday when seven of the sport’s governing officials were arrested in Switzerland to be extradited to the US on multiple bribery charges.

Those arrested are among the most powerful figures in global football and were joined by five other sports media executives, who together face corruption charges involving more than €150 million.

The arrests included FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb and a number of other members of the body’s hierarchy, and were prompted by a US Department of Justice investigation spanning over the past 20 years.

Unfortunately, this is the state of football today

The police operation early yesterday morning came on the eve of a FIFA congress, where delegates are expected to re-elect Sepp Blatter as president for a fifth term. UEFA yesterday called on FIFA to postpone the presidential election.

Malta Football Association president Norman Darmanin Demajo yesterday flew to Zurich for the congress and said it had been turned on its head.

Surrounded by delegates from 209 footballing countries, Mr Darmanin Demajo said the sport’s governing body had been mired in controversy for too long. These latest arrests, he added, were just the latest in what had become a perception of widespread controversy.

“Unfortunately, this is the state of football today. It’s a shame but it’s a reality and it’s yet another scandal under Mr Blatter’s watch,” he said. At the time of writing, six of the seven FIFA arrested would contest the extradition order, while one had accepted. The Swiss authorities, meanwhile, announced a separate investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups, seizing documents from the association’s Zurich offices.