ZURICH: Eduardo Li, former head of the Costa Rica football federation, has decided to stop fighting a United States extradition application and accept a flight from Switzerland to face FIFAGate charges writes KEIR RADNEDGE.

Li had been just about to be admitted formally to the executive committee of world governing body FIFA when he was arrested by Swiss police at the BAur au Lac hotel in Zurich on May 27.

The US Department of Justice has alleged that Li had sought and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from sports marketing companies in exchange for commercial rights to World Cup qualifiers.

Swiss authorities approved his extradition Li in September and he had submitted notice of intention to appeal. Now Li’s New York lawyers have indicated that he has changed his mind.

Last week El Salvador’s Supreme Court approved the FIFAGate extradition of Reynaldo Vasquez who was head of the country’s federation FESFUT between 2009 and 2010.

He is wanted by the US DoJ in connection with five cases of alleged bribery linked to commercial deals for the broadcasting of qualifiers for the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. Vasquez has described the allegations as “absurd.”

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