Two FIFA vice-presidents have been arrested during a series of pre-dawn raids, it has been reported.
Alfredo Hawit of Honduras and Juan Angel Napout of Paraguay are understood to be among those arrested in connection to investigations into corruption in international football.
Some of the arrests took place at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich, where FIFA officials were arrested in May in raids that rocked the sport.
According to Mail online 12 people could have been arrested as part of the operation.
The Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich closed its gates after a group of four people, believed to be plainclothes police, went in shortly before 6 a.m. according to witnesses.
Another group of police then went in through the rear entrance and left half an hour later.A hotel manager told visitors in the lobby they had to leave the property because of 'an extreme situation', the New York Times reported
.
Shortly afterwards, two cars with tinted windows were seen leaving the hotel. Reporters could not see who was inside.
Authorities in Switzerland, where FIFA has its headquarters, and in the U.S. are investigating current and former senior soccer officials on charges that include racketeering, money laundering and fraud.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, head of the European football federation, are currently serving 90-day suspensions amid FIFA ethics investigations involving $2 million of FIFA money Blatter approved for Platini in 2011 as backdated salary.
Both deny wrongdoing and say they had a verbal contract to pay Platini for work as Blatter's presidential adviser from 1998-2002.
The last six months have been the most turbulent period of Blatter's 17-year reign as FIFA president.
Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president on May 29, three days after a raid in Zurich by Swiss police resulted in seven officials being arrested and criminal proceedings being opened regarding 'systematic and deep-rooted' corruption in soccer.Zurich police, asked about more arrests in the FIFA case, said they took action at the request of Swiss federal justice authorities, but gave no other details.
FIFA said it was aware of the arrests but did not give details.
A statement said: 'FIFA became aware of the actions taken today by the U.S. Department of Justice.
'FIFA will continue to cooperate fully with the U.S. investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General.'
Authorities have said for months to expect a second wave of corruption charges in soccer following U.S. charges in May against 14 officials and sports marketing executives with paying and taking bribes.
U.S. Department of Justice officials were expected to appear at a news conference in Washington as soon as Thursday to discuss the case, people familiar with the plans said.
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