FIFA's ex-VP pleads not guilty to corruption charges

Former FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb pleaded not guilty in a New York City court Saturday on charges of corruption during his time with soccer's governing body, the AFP reports.

Webb, 50, is one of 14 defendants accused of soliciting and receiving more than $150 million in bribes over a 24-year period. He agreed to be released on a $10-million bond. Nine people - including his wife and her family - signed his bond papers.

Earlier in the week, reports emerged of an unnamed FIFA official being extradited to the U.S. from Switzerland. In the days since, Webb, a dual citizen of Great Britain and the Cayman Islands, was revealed as the target of the extradition.

Webb is the first former FIFA official to appear in a New York court after an international scandal saw seven high-ranking members of soccer's governing body arrested in a hotel in Switzerland.

The extradition took place Wednesday, as Webb was taken to New York City where he was escorted by a trio of police officers, according to the Swiss Justice Department. Webb has relinquished his passports to the FBI and must also remain within a 32-kilometer radius of the US federal court in Brooklyn.

FIFA is currently under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice. Its president, Sepp Blatter, won re-election but resigned one week later. There is mounting pressure for sweeping changes in the organization's executive branch from fans of the beautiful game, as well as corporate sponsors.

Webb is also the former president of CONCACAF as well as the Cayman Islands football association.