ZURICH (SW):
ZURICH (SW): Sepp Blatter, President of world football governing body FIFA resigned on Tuesday in the face of a US-led corruption investigation that has plunged world football’s governing body into the worst crisis in its history.
FIFA, ruled over by Blatter since 1998, was rocked this week by the announcement of a US investigation into alleged widespread financial wrongdoing stretching back for years. Swiss authorities mounted their own criminal probe into the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively.
The investigation however 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 $10 million payment that lies at the heart of the US case.
Last week, Blatter was re-elected as FIFA President amid charges of corruption at the top of football’s world governing body.
The 79-year-old Swiss competed against FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, 39, in the presidential election at the 65th FIFA Congress held in Zurich, Switzerland. FIFA Vice President Prince Ali received 73 votes against Blatter’s 133 in the first round.
With neither candidate achieving a two-thirds majority, the election was to go into a second round; however, Ali announced his withdrawal before the second round began, giving Blatter his fifth election victory as FIFA President.
“I was regarded as the responsible of the happenings. So I will try to fix FIFA with you by taking responsibility.", Blatter said in his speech. "I promise to leave a strong FIFA to my successor. We have to work together for this”, he added.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Wednesday 14 defendants — including top FIFA officials — in a 47-count indictment with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses, “in connection with the defendants’ participation in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer.”
The U.S. authority also unsealed guilty pleas of four individual defendants and two corporate defendants.
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ZURICH (SW): Sepp Blatter, President of the Federation Internationale de Football Association's (FIFA) has been re-elected on Friday night amid charges of corruption at the top of football’s world governing body.
The 79-year-old Swiss competed against FIFA Vice President Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, 39, in the presidential election at the 65th FIFA Congress held in Zurich, Switzerland. FIFA Vice President Prince Ali received 73 votes against Blatter’s 133 in the first round.
With neither candidate achieving a two-thirds majority, the election was to go into a second round; however, Ali announced his withdrawal before the second round began, giving Blatter his fifth election victory as FIFA President.
Blatter, at the helm of FIFA for 17 years, will be presiding over the organization for another four-year term.
“I was regarded as the responsible of the happenings. So I will try to fix FIFA with you by taking responsibility.", Blatter said in his speech. "I promise to leave a strong FIFA to my successor. We have to work together for this”, he added.
The U.S. Department of Justice charged Wednesday 14 defendants — including top FIFA officials — in a 47-count indictment with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies, among other offenses, “in connection with the defendants’ participation in a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer.”
The U.S. authority also unsealed guilty pleas of four individual defendants and two corporate defendants.
Meanwhile, Europe's umbrella football organization, UEFA, said Thursday the majority of the European football associations would back Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan in the FIFA presidential election.
"We do not support Blatter anymore," said Michel Platini, UEFA President, in a press conference before the FIFA’s 65th congress in Zurich.
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