In quotes: The world reacts to FIFA's corruption crisis

Several top FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich, Switzerland in the early hours of the morning on Wednesday, and face extradition to the United States, where they will face corruption and racketeering charges.

The revelation, and the FBI press conference that followed, reverberated throughout the football world. Here is just some of the widespread reaction in light of the extraordinary events of Wednesday morning.

Loretta Lynch, U.S. Attorney General: "The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States. It spans at least two generations of soccer officials who, as alleged, have abused their positions of trust to acquire millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks ...

"These individuals and organizations engaged in bribery to decide who would televise games; where the games would be held; and who would run the organization overseeing organized soccer worldwide.

"They corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and enrich themselves. They did this over and over, year after year, tournament after tournament."

Kelly Currie, Acting U.S. Attorney: "Let's be clear: this is the beginning of our effort - not the end ...

"Our message to FIFA and soccer is our investigation is going to continue. What FIFA does internally is a matter for them but law enforcement in the U.S. are not going to tolerate this corrupt conduct going forward."

Richard Weber, IRS Director of Criminal Investigation: "Whether you call it soccer or football, the fans, players and sponsors should not have to worry about officials corrupting their sport. It isn't about soccer, it's about corruption. Spanning over several continents and countries... this investigation was complex and thorough. Those in positions of power abused that trust."

FBI director James Comey: "As charged in the indictment, the defendants fostered a culture of corruption and greed that created an uneven playing field for the biggest sport in the world. Undisclosed and illegal payments, kickbacks and bribes became a way of doing business at FIFA. When leaders in an organisation resort to cheating the very members that they were supposed to represent, they must be held accountable."

Simon Johnson, COO for England's 2018 World Cup bid: "You can imagine the scene, the hotel bar where all the FIFA officials stay, the place where most of the action was going on during the bidding process and the idea of a number of officers wandering up to rooms and escorting FIFA officials out would have been a sight to see."

Related: Blatter breaks silence on FIFA charges: 'We will work vigorously to regain your trust'

Corporate Reaction

As Darren Rovell of ESPN notes, FIFA's corporate sponsors spoke out after the charges were handed out to members of football's governing body.

Adidas: "The Adidas Group is fully committed to creating a culture that promotes the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we expect the same from our partners," the company said in its statement. "Following today's news, we can therefore only encourage FIFA to continue to establish and follow transparent compliance standards in everything they do."

McDonald's: "McDonald's takes matters of ethics and corruption very seriously and the news from the U.S. Department of Justice is extremely concerning," the company stated. "We are in contact with FIFA on this matter. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely."

Nike: "Like fans everywhere we care passionately about the game and are concerned by the very serious allegations. Nike believes in ethical and fair play in both business and sport and strongly opposes any form of manipulation or bribery. We have been cooperating, and will continue to cooperate, with the authorities."

Coca-Cola: "This lengthy controversy has tarnished the mission and ideals of the FIFA World Cup and we have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations. We expect FIFA to continue to address these issues thoroughly. FIFA has stated that it is responding to all requests for information and we are confident it will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities."

VISA: "Should FIFA fail to make changes now, we have informed them we will reassess sponsorship."

Football Federations Have Their Say

UEFA: "UEFA is astonished and saddened by the events which have taken place earlier today in Zurich and is now waiting for additional information. An informal meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee will take place this afternoon in Warsaw prior to the UEFA Europa League final to discuss the matter and further communication will be made in due course."

CONCACAF: "The Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) is deeply concerned by today’s developments, in the arrest of several international football officials including those belonging to our Confederation. The Confederation will continue to cooperate with the authorities to its fullest capacity."

Asian Football Confederation (AFC): "The Asian Football Confederation expresses its disappointment and sadness at Wednesday's events in Zurich whilst opposing any delay in the FIFA Presidential elections to take place on Friday in Zurich."