FIFA
President Sepp Blatter has decided to step down as leader of football’s
governing body.
Blatter
announced his decision just four days after the FIFA Congress that saw
him win a fifth term as the body’s president.
“I
cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and
for football,” Blatter said at a press conference in Zurich.
“FIFA
needs a profound overhaul. I have decided to lay down my mandate at an
extraordinary elective Congress.
“I
will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA president until that election.”
Domenico
Scala, head of FIFA’s independent audit and compliance committee, said there
would need to be four months’ notice for any new presidential election.
“The decision for the timing of the election
of the next president will be up to the executive committee and will take place
any time from December until March.”
The
resignation, which was widely unexpected, came amid one of the
most controversial episodes in FIFA’s history.
Seven
high-ranking FIFA officials were arrested ahead of the football
governing body’s meeting last Friday.
Swiss
authorities had launched a separate criminal investigation into the bidding
process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups that are set to be held in Russia and
Qatar.
At
the FIFA meeting in Zurich last Friday, Blatter,79, had been re-elected when
his only rival, Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, withdrew after gaining 73
votes to Blatter’s 133 in the first round of voting.
A
day later, Blatter came out fighting, implying that the US timed the
announcement of a major corruption probe to try to scupper his re-election
bid.
“Arrested
for what? Next question,” Blatter dismissed curtly, when asked if he feared
where the US federal case was heading following his re-election.
The
investigation closed in on Blatter on Tuesday when FIFA was forced to deny that
his right-hand man, Secretary-General Jerome Valcke, was implicated in a $10m
payment that lies at the heart of the US case.
Valcke
has been secretary-general since 2007 and is seen as one of the most powerful
men in world sport, had no role in the payments, which were authorised by the
chairman of FIFA’s Finance Committee, FIFA said in an earlier statement.
Meanwhile,
Switzerland’s office of attorney general (OAG) has confirmed that it was not
investigating outgoing Blatter.
The
chairman of the committee at the time of the payments was Argentina’s Julio
Grondona, who died last year.
“Joseph
S. Blatter is not under investigation by the OAG,” the attorney general said in
a brief statement.
“His
announced resignation will have no influence on the ongoing criminal
proceedings.”
The
attorney general had opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown on
suspicion of criminal mismanagement and of money laundering alongside the US
corruption investigation.
FIFA President Blatter resigns, calls for new election
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on
Tuesday, June 02, 2015
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