One of seven FIFA officials arrested two weeks ago in a dawn raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich has appealed his detention during extradition proceedings tied to U.S. corruption charges, Switzerland's Federal Office of Justice said on Wednesday. The world's most popular sport was plunged into turmoil when seven senior soccer officials were arrested on U.S. charges. They face extradition from Switzerland, whose authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups. A spokesman for Switzerland's justice office declined to give the name of the individual appealing the warrant. The Swiss Federal Criminal Court will now rule on whether or not he will have to remain in custody for the entire length of the extradition proceeding, which can take months. A spokeswoman for the federal criminal court said that detainees generally have a right to have their appeal heard quickly, but that the court does not have to adhere to a deadline. Detention in prison is the rule in Swiss cases facing extradition, according to a Swiss lawyer and a judicial official. Though bail can be granted, in practice it rarely is because detainees are considered a flight risk. In addition, the canton of Zurich, where all seven were arrested and are being held in various jails, does not have an electronic monitoring system which would typically accompany house arrest, if it were granted. The seven, all from the Latin American and Caribbean region, have limited options to appeal their detention, where they have no contact with each other to avoid potential collusion, no Internet access and are allowed one hour of walking per day. All have contested extradition, but under a bilateral treaty the proceedings are relatively straightforward, even if defendants have the right to appeal along the way, experts say. (For more sports news andupdates, followAhramOnlineSportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand onFacebookatAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/132470.aspx
