Why the Americans took on Fifa

So how did a country where football is more niche than entrenched come to police the world's beautiful game?
"Too many countries are cowed by Fifa," said Alexandra Wrage, a former Fifa anti-bribery adviser who resigned in protest from the organisation.
 "As with international bribery more generally, the US Department of Justice has said they'll step up to investigate corruption if others won't," she said.
Speaking to reporters just hours after the arrests in Switzerland, FBI Director James Comey set out why the US was able to act.
 "If you touch our shores with your corrupt enterprise, whether that is through meetings or through using our world class financial system, you will be held accountable for that corruption," he said.
 As it turns out, the US charges accuse many of those football officials of doing both.
To prosecute cases that involve foreign nationals, US authorities need only prove a minor connection to the United States.
But in the case of the charges made public on Wednesday, the alleged corruption hit right at the heart of the game in the US. continue