Swiss prosecutors formally have opened a criminal investigation into the head of the football governing body FIFA.
Sepp Blatter is being investigated on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and the misappropriation of funds, according to the Swiss attorney general's office.
"The office of the FIFA president has been searched and data seized," the attorney general’s office announced today.
This is the first time that the Swiss have accused Blatter of wrongdoing and his lawyer said today that his client denies everything and is fully cooperating with the authorities.
Blatter has yet to be arrested or charged and may therefore stay in post until his planned departure from FIFA in February 2016.
FIFA's awarding of the 2018 and 2022 competitions to Russia and Qatar is one of the areas of investigation by the US and Swiss authorities which are seeking to charge Blatter with running a corrupt regime for his own personal benefit.
The case hit the headlines in May this year when 14 football officials and sports marketing executives were indicted with seven being arrested by Swiss police in a raid on a hotel in Zurich.
Michel Platini is favourite to win the election to replace Blatter when he steps down in February next year and Platini already has given evidence to Swiss prosecutors that implicate Blatter.
Blatter has survived scandals before, including accusations that Qatar bought the deal to hold the 2022 World Cup, but the current range of accusations are too serious and Blatter too old at 79 to weather the storm.
As the scandal reverberated around the world in May and Blatter’s position became untenable, he announced that he would step down but remains in office until the election of his successor.
