Local organising committee chief executive David Beeche insisted the U-20 tournament, which begins tomorrow with a match between New Zealand and Ukraine in Albany, will not be affected by the scandal.
In Auckland, Fifa spokeswoman Monika Huser stonewalled media queries about the indictment of 14 people for corruption in the US, which included the detainment of seven Fifa officials in Zurich on Wednesday, saying: "We don't want to talk about it. We can't actually talk about the recent events happening in Zurich."
One of those detained was Jeffrey Webb, 50, the Fifa vice-president and chairman of the U-20 World Cup tournament's organising committee, who was in New Zealand for the football tournament's draw in February and met with Sport and Recreation Minister Jonathan Coleman.
After continued questions, Ms Huser and Fifa head of the Olympics, Club World Cup and U-20 World Cup Marion Mayer-Vorfelder and Fifa Project Lead U-20 World Cup Rhiannon Martin left local organising committee chief executive David Beeche to conduct interviews.
New Zealand Football chief executive Andy Martin, who was in Zurich for the annual Fifa congress, said the corruption scandal was very serious.
Michael Glading, who led the winning bid to host the U-20 tournament, said the process in which New Zealand vied with Turkey, Peru and Wales was "100 per cent straight".
It emerged yesterday that former Fifa executive committee member Chuck Blazer, who pleaded guilty 18 months ago to charges of corruption and is understood to have provided information to the Department of Justice on which the charges are based, allegedly received US$750,000 ($1.036 million) from a US$10 million bribe to vote for South Africa to become the 2010 World Cup host.
- AP and staff reporters
Q&A
Why is the FBI investigating Fifa?
The FBI was revealed to be investigating Fifa shortly after Qatar was controversially awarded the 2022 World Cup at the expense of the United States. The probe focused mainly on allegations of wrongdoing on US soil, particularly by members of the North and Central American football confederation, Concacaf. It emerged last year that its American former general secretary and ex-Fifa executive committee member, Chuck Blazer, had turned supergrass after being threatened with serious jail time for fraud and tax evasion. He helped to provide evidence against his president, Jack Warner, whose two sons also agreed to co-operate with the FBI, and have pleaded guilty to charges.
What is the scope of the FBI's investigation?
It covers almost a quarter-century of alleged fraud, bribery and money laundering in which well over US$150 million ($207 million) changed hands. The FBI has examined "kickbacks" or bribes said to have been received by football officials in relation to the rights to various tournaments in Central and South America, as well as the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and 2011 Fifa presidential election, which Sepp Blatter won unopposed after his rival, Mohamed Bin Hammam, withdrew over a bribery scandal. The US Justice Department took advantage of its extradition treaty with Switzerland to order a dawn raid on the luxury hotel in Zurich where seven senior football officials were arrested. It also raided the Miami headquarters of Concacaf.
Why is the 2010 World Cup in South Africa part of the probe?
The indictment issued by US authorities accuses the South African Government of paying US$10 million to secure the tournament - and alleges the cash was transferred via a Fifa bank account. The money was said to have been received by Warner and Blazer.
How senior are the figures charged and what punishment could they face?
Those charged or convicted include six present, former or incoming members of the Fifa executive committee, the elite cabal headed by Blatter which governs the game. The highest ranked is Jeffrey Webb, one of eight vice-presidents to Blatter.
How is the FBI investigation different from the Swiss one?
Unlike the FBI probe, the criminal proceedings launched almost simultaneously by the Swiss attorney-general relate specifically to the bidding process for the next two World Cups. Fifa last year agreed to hand over the contents of its own internal investigation - conducted by former US attorney Michael J Garcia - to Swiss prosecutors. The attorney-general decided there was a case to answer and will question the 10 surviving foreign executive committee members from the 2010 vote.
Will the Swiss investigation lead to Russia and Qatar being stripped of hosting rights to the next two World Cups?
Fifa director of communications Walter de Gregorio conceded he could not predict whether that would happen.
Will the Fifa presidential election go ahead tomorrow?
De Gregorio confirmed both the Fifa congress and presidential election would take place as planned.
Is Sepp Blatter implicated in the scandals engulfing Fifa?
Crucially, neither the FBI nor Swiss prosecutors have managed to unearth any actionable evidence against Blatter. But there will no doubt be calls for him to stand down over his failure to stem the endemic corruption during his 17-year reign.
