Switzerland

fifa's director of communications Walter De Gregorio is to resign after making a joke on television about the scandal-hit soccer body, while pressure mounted for his boss Sepp Blatter to step aside at once.The European Parliament said Blatter's failure to depart immediately would block efforts to rid fifa of rampant Corruption.

Swiss authorities said on Friday they seized documents from a defunct sports rights marketing agency roughly 50 kilometres east of Zurich on the same day as they seized data and documents at fifa linked to the allocation of the next two World Cups.

HSBC said on Thursday it had agreed to pay the authorities in Geneva 40 million Swiss francs (28 million pounds) to settle an investigation into allegations of Money Laundering at its Swiss private bank.

Sepp Blatter rocked the world of football on Tuesday by unexpectedly saying he would step down as fifa president in the wake of a Corruption investigation that reportedly may include the embattled chief himself.Citing sources familiar with the case, The New York Times and ABC News reported on Tuesday that Blatter was being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. prosecutors.

fifa President Sepp Blatter began his fifth term at the helm of football's governing body on Saturday facing the daunting task of restoring public faith in an organisation tainted by allegations of Corruption and deeply divided over his re-election

Corruption charges engulfing world football's governing body have heaped shame and humiliation on the game, fifa President Sepp Blatter said on Thursday, although he flatly rejected calls to resign over the widening scandal.With fifa facing the worst crisis in its 111-year history, Michel Platini, who heads Europe's football confederation UEFA, said he had told Blatter to go "with tears in my eyes", but the 79-year-old had refused."I said, 'I'm asking you to leave, fifa's image is terrible.'

The world's most popular sport was plunged into turmoil on Wednesday as seven senior football officials were arrested on U.S. Corruption charges and faced extradition from Switzerland, whose authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups.

Seven of the most powerful figures in global football faced extradition to the United States on Corruption charges after being arrested on Wednesday in Switzerland, where authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups.

UBS (UBSG.VX) said on Wednesday it has settled a probe by U.S. authorities over alleged rigging of currency markets by agreeing to pay $545 million (351 million pounds) in combined fines and pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud in a separate matter.

The French tax authorities have reportedly sent an administrative assistance request to Switzerland which could see Swiss bank UBS turn over information on tens of thousands of French clients.