WARSAW — European soccer's governing body UEFA has called for Friday's FIFA presidential election to be postponed, secretary general Gianni Infantino told reporters Wednesday. "We strongly believe the FIFA Congress should be postponed with new FIFA presidential elections to be organized within the next six months," he told reporters at the Sheraton Hotel. The world's most popular sport was plunged into turmoil Wednesday after US and Swiss authorities announced separate inquiries into the activities of soccer's ruling body. Incumbent Sepp Blatter is standing for re-election to the FIFA presidency against Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein. Infantino, reading from a prepared statement, added: "UEFA shows this FIFA the red card. Today's events are a disaster for FIFA and tarnish the image of football as whole. UEFA is deeply shocked and saddened by them. "These events show that once again corruption is deeply rooted in FIFA's culture. There is a need for the whole of FIFA to be rebooted and for a real reform to be carried out. "The upcoming FIFA Congress risks turning into a farce and therefore the European associations will have to consider carefully even if they should attend this Congress ... "The UEFA member associations are meeting tomorrow (Thursday) ahead of the FIFA Congress. At that point, the European associations will decide on what further steps need to be taken to protect the game of football. "The members of the European executive committee are convinced that there is a strong need for a change through the leadership of this FIFA and we strongly believe that the FIFA Congress should be postponed." UEFA president Michel Platini declined to comment when asked by Reuters about Wednesday's developments. FIFA suspends 11 FIFA Wednesday "provisionally" banned 11 officials facing corruption charges in the United States following the US inquiry, the world body said. The action was ordered by FIFA's ethics committee within hours of the arrest of seven officials in a Zurich hotel and charges ordered by US authorities against the seven and seven other officials alleging they took more than $150 million in bribes. A FIFA statement named the 11 as: Jeffrey Webb, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takkas, Jack Warner, Eugenio Figueredo, Rafael Esquivel, Jose Maria Marin, Nicolas Leoz, Chuck Blazer and Daryll Warner. Six fighting extradition to US Six of the seven top FIFA officials arrested Wednesday in Zurich as part of a twin corruption probe are opposing their extradition to the United States, the Swiss justice ministry said. It said they had all been questioned by police following their shock dawn arrests in a posh Zurich hotel. "For those individuals who are contesting extradition, the (justice ministry) will now ask the US to submit formal extradition requests within the 40-day period provided for in the bilateral extradition treaty," a statement said. The ministry said: "Extradition proceedings will be resumed as soon as these requests have been received." It said one of the detained officials said he was ready for "simplified extradition", adding that if this was approved, he could "be handed over to the US authorities immediately". Russia slams 'illegal' use of US law Russia, meanwhile, accused the United States of illegally applying its legal force "far beyond its borders". The Russian foreign ministry called it "another case of illegal exterritorial use of US law" and demanded in a statement that Washington "stops attempts to make justice far beyond its borders." The organizing committee of the 2018 soccer World Cup in Russia, however, said it is ready to cooperate with the relevant authorities investigating the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process. — Agencies
