Duo pleads not guilty in FIFA corruption scandal

Rafael Callejas, who was president of Honduras from 1990 to 1994, and Juan Angel Napout, a FIFA vice president and former president of the South American football confederation CONMEBOL, are among a slew of current or former football officials charged with wrongdoing.

A total of 39 people and two companies have been charged by US authorities in connection with the multimillion-dollar corruption scandal that erupted at FIFA earlier this year when Swiss officials swooped on a luxury hotel in Zurich.

About a dozen have pleaded guilty over graft that dates back decades and has threatened to bring FIFA to its knees, along with its leadership.

Napout, a 57-year-old Paraguayan, was arrested earlier this month in another raid on the same five-star Baur Au Lac hotel and extradited to the United States earlier Tuesday, escorted by two US police officers, appearing in court just hours later.

Napout, who was arrested on December 3 alongside fellow FIFA vice president Alfredo Hawit of Honduras, pleaded not guilty to five charges of racketeering and bribery offenses.

FIFA, keen to be seen as cleaning up its act, suspended both for 90 days.

They are accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes in return for selling marketing rights for regional tournaments and World Cup qualifying matches.

Dressed in a blue sweater and black pants, Napout was released on bail of 20 million. His next hearing will be on March 16 and he will be under house arrest.

"He pleads not guilty," his attorney John Pappalardo told the court yesterday.