On early Wednesday, more than a dozen plain-clothed officials arrested several top FIFA officials at the opulent Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich. As reported by the New York Times, the arrests were carried out as football's global governing body gathered for their annual meeting.

As stated by the report, the charges the FIFA officials are facing are backed by an FBI investigation that allege widespread corruption in the organization over a period that spans two decades. According to the New York Times report, the indictment names 14 people on charges that include racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.

The report notes that apart from the FIFA officials, a number of sports marketing executives will also be indicted. These executives from both the United States and South America are accused of paying more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks that they used to get media deals related to major football tournaments.

The FIFA officials charged include Jeffrey Webb, Eugenio Figueredo, Jack Warner, Eduardo Li, Julio Rocha, Costas Takas, Rafael Esquivel, Jose Maria Marin, and Nicolas Leoz. While those from the sports marketing field include Alejandro Burzaco, Aaron Davidson, Hugo Jinkis, and Mariano Jinkis.

"We're struck by how long this went on for and how it touched nearly every part of what FIFA did. It just seemed to permeate every element of the federation and was just their way of doing business. It seems like this corruption was institutionalized," a law enforcement official said.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who is looking to be elected to a fifth term on Friday, was not included in the arrests.

As the New York Times notes, with over $1.5 billion in reserves, FIFA resembles more a global financial conglomerate than a sports organization. FIFA under Blatter has been mired for years in accusations of corruptions, but none of the controversies have led to charges of federal crimes in the United States court.