A staff member from FIFA has reportedly been arrested in Miami on charges related to having sexual contact with an underage boy while on a work trip from Zurich last year, The Associated Press reports.
The individual, identified as Jack Coles, was detained on Friday by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations at a hotel located near FIFA’s offices in the Coral Gables neighborhood.
In a statement released on Wednesday, FIFA acknowledged the ongoing legal proceedings in Miami, emphasizing the serious nature of the allegations, which they categorized as a personal matter unrelated to his professional responsibilities.
Coles, a 39-year-old British project leader with FIFA Sound — a division responsible for organizing music for the organization’s events and broadcasts — is alleged to have met the boy, who is reported to be 14, through a men’s dating app last October. It is claimed that Coles attempted to meet with the boy again just last week. The boy had reportedly communicated to Coles that he was 16 and later engaged with federal investigators regarding the incident.
FIFA established a base of operations in Coral Gables in 2023 in preparation for two major international soccer tournaments that are set to take place in the United States. This move included the relocation of its legal department from its headquarters in Zurich.
The first-ever 32-team Club World Cup is scheduled to take place across 11 US cities, commencing on June 14 in Miami, where Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will compete against Al Ahly of Egypt at the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins.
Additionally, the US will host a majority of the 104 matches during the men’s 2026 World Cup, which is being co-hosted with Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19 next year, with Miami’s stadium slated to host seven of those games.
