U.S. asks for extradition of FIFA officials: Swiss authorities

ZURICH (Reuters) - The United States has sent Switzerland extradition requests for seven soccer officials arrested in May on suspicion of racketeering in a corruption probe, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said on Thursday. The officials were detained in a dawn raid on May 27 on a luxury Zurich hotel two days before FIFA's annual congress, throwing soccer's governing body into turmoil. They have since been jailed around the Zurich region. Zurich's local police will now give the seven officials a hearing on the extradition requests, the FOJ said in a statement. The FOJ will then grant the officials or their lawyers 14 days to respond to the request. This may be extended by a further 14 days. A ruling was due within weeks, it added.