On Wednesday in Washington D.C., the US Senate panel hearing took place into corruption in international soccer chaired by the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance, and Data Security.

Those in attendance were investigative journalist and filmmaker Andrew Jennings, Dan Flynn, CEO and secretary-general of the U.S. Soccer Federation, Michael Hershman, president and CEO of the Fairfax Group and Sunjeev Bery, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International USA.

Some serious accusations were thrown around from the Senators in attendance and we have assembled some of the most eye-opening quotes from the hearing.

SEE MORE — Watch the US Senate Panel hearing into corruption in soccer.

US Senate panel hearing into soccer corruption

USSF CEO Dan Flynn

“I knew nothing about any corruption. I or anybody that I work with has not brought anything to my attention – cold hard facts regarding corruption within FIFA or CONCACAF.”

US Senator Richard Blumenthal:

“The silence is deafening, and sometimes inaction signals complicity. There will be a point where in effect U.S. Soccer is complicit in the ongoing lack of reform or action. You may have no direct control over it but I respectfully suggest that this may be something you want to consider more seriously.”

(Directed at USSF CEO Dan Flynn) “Begin to ask questions. Begin an inquiry. Begin to shine the light. Begin to blow the whistle. Begin essentially holding accountable officials who might be guilty — and we now know they are — of wire fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and bribery that directly impacted the quality and integrity of the sport that you are responsible for upholding.”

Investigative reporter Andrew Jennings:

“Where’s Sunil? Where is he?….It rather undermines the whole process I think.”

“U.S. Soccer had to know that Blazer and his fellow crook Jack Warner from Trinidad, fighting extradition now, with the approval of [FIFA president Sepp] Blatter were looting regional football and evading rightful taxes but they looked the other way. If American soccer leaders had taken action when they should have, Blazer and Warner would have been in jail, Blatter would be seeking asylum in Zimbabwe and the USA would be hosting the 2022 World Cup, not some graveyards in the gulf.”

“[The US] doesn’t have to go ask the rest of the world ‘Is it alright if we have an enquiry in America into our people?’ PLEASE. I find this very dispiriting about this view of America as being gutless because that’s what is being suggested. Get on and do it. Don’t ask permission of some other countries.”

“You (the United States) have got the sponsors. You’ve got the media. You’ve got the moral power of this huge country [to change international soccer and remove corruption].”

“Blatter’s FIFA ticks all the boxes defining an organized crime syndicate, seizing and holding power, massive stealing, running rackets, compromising and outwitting the public authorities and hiding behind the world’s most popular game. After 7 years of probing these sleaze-bags and putting up with their legal threats and their attacks on my computers.”

“FIFA never should have awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar and England never should have bid for the 2018 World Cup, knowing about rampant bribery on FIFA’s Executive Committee.”

“FIFA has got to be dissolved.”

Findings

The US Senate panel hearing into soccer corruption lasted about two hours, not including breaks, and was the beginning of a long process for U.S. Soccer. Neither Sepp Blatter or Sunil Gulati were in attendance but both men’s names were mentioned throughout the panel. Both Senators told the representatives that this is the first step in figuring out how to oust corruption from international soccer.

What does Sunil Gulati have to hide?

SEE ALSO:

What did MLS and US Soccer know about Traffic and CONCACAF’s improprieties?

USSF and MLS have serious questions to answer

Years of Blazer corruption raises serious questions for American soccer