Sepp Blatter has announced he is stepping down as president of FIFA, football’s governing body, and has called on a special congress to elect a successor. The news comes less than a week after Blatter was reelected as FIFA chief amid a bribery scandal.
READ MORE: Blatter to quit as FIFA president, calls special congress to elect successor
04 June 2015
A former senior FIFA official, Chuck Blazer, claimed he and others took bribes in exchange for supporting World Cup candidate countries in 1998 and 2010, an unsealed paper says.
READ MORE: Ex-FIFA official: ‘I agreed to accept bribes for 1998, 2010 World Cups’
03 June 2015
The transcript of the testimony in which Chuck Blazer, the key senior FIFA official who admitted corruption and indicted many of his colleagues has been unsealed.
“Among other things, I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup,” admits Blazer, who was facing up to 20 years in prison before agreeing to cooperate, in his 2013 testimony. “I and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup.”
Overwhelmed by the torrent of revelations, some are taking a lighter approach.
The US is incredibly successful at solving problems it doesn't care about. #FIFA Now, how do we make them stop caring about the Middle East?
— Radida G. (@RadidaG) June 3, 2015
The White House has welcomed Blatter's resignation.
"It's apparent from recent news reports they'd benefit from some new leadership and this is an opportunity for that organization to try to improve their public image and to make sure that the actions of that organization are consistent with their mission," said White House press secretary Josh Earnest during a media briefing.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she hopes that Blatter's resignation will signal a "new beginning" for FIFA, and "set it on a path to transparency."
FIFA's decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively, is also being investigated by the FBI, a source within the agency told Reuters. FBI refused to comment on the revelation when openly contacted about it by Russia's RIA news agency.
Moscow was surprised by Sepp Blatter's decision to resign – spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to RIA.
The Kremlin has refused to address any alleged fears that that the next World Cup may not be held in Moscow, now that Blatter is gone.
“We don’t know who the new FIFA head is. We know the decision is not going to be announced tomorrow or the day after, but much later. So let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” Peskov told journalists. The spokesman added that it's “certainly a difficult situation”, though admitted to not having heard of any specific accusations the US has allegedly been making against the former FIFA head.
As for the preparations for the upcoming 2018 championship in Russia, Peskov said the work is still on.
Sepp Blatter is reportedly under FBI investigation as part of the inquiry into the alleged corruption at FIFA, according to American media. US officials said that last week’s indictments of 14 FIFA officials could lead to a case against Blatter.
"Now that people are going to want to save themselves, there’s probably a race to see who will flip on [Blatter] first," a source told ABC News. "We may not be able to collapse the whole organization but maybe you don’t need to."
Football Federation Australia responded to the news by stating that FIFA needs new leadership and Blatter’s resignation is just “a first step.”
“The challenge is not just to change the top elected position, but the governance structure at all levels and the culture that underpins it,” the statement said.
FIFA sponsors Visa, Budweiser and McDonald’s have endorsed Blatter's resignation.
Visa said in a statement that it supported “the recognition by FIFA that extensive and fundamental reform is needed as reflected by the announcement that President Blatter is resigning … This is a significant first step towards rebuilding public trust, but more work lies ahead.”
Budweiser added that Blatter’s resignation will “accelerate FIFA’s efforts to resolve internal issues, install positive change and adhere to the highest ethical standards and transparency.”
McDonald's expressed hope that the move will lead to more reforms within FIFA, so the association could regain “trust from fans worldwide.”
02 June 2015
Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has commented on Blatter’s resignation on his Facebook page, interpreting the development as a victory for truth.
“The world has changed. Blatter’s resignation as a result of high-profile corruption scandals in FIFA gives hope for the abolition of some corrupt motivated decisions made by the organization. The truth always wins,” Poroshenko wrote.
Sepp Blatter’s decision “represents an exceptional and immediate opportunity for positive change within FIFA,” said the president of US Soccer, Sunil Gulati, in statement.
“I commend him for making a decision that puts FIFA and the sport we love above all other interests,” Gulati said. “This is the first of many steps towards real and meaningful reform within FIFA. Today is an occasion for optimism and belief for everyone who shares a passion for our game.”
Blatter’s resignation will not clean up international football, US Senator John McCain told Sputnik.
“Just because he [Blatter] has resigned, does not mean it [FIFA] has changed,” McCain said.
Here is the USSF statement on Sepp Blatter's resignation: pic.twitter.com/hjvyHJ5sDQ
— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) June 2, 2015
President of the Dutch football federation Michael van Praag, one of the candidates who withdrew before the May 29th elections, called the resignation “a very big step in the right direction.”
The Dutch federation (KNVB) also commented on the news saying that “the Netherlands Football Association welcomes Sepp Blatter's resignation as president of FIFA.”
"The fact that he has chosen to step down only days after his re-election is striking but no cause for speculation as far as the KNVB is concerned. Everyone who has seen the images and followed the news knows that Mr Blatter's reelection failed to bring the peace he wanted,” KNVB said in a statement.
Why Blatter quit? - Sports writer John Goodbody explains
The world football players' union, FIFPro, released a statement, noting that Blatter’s resignation “creates an overdue and unique opportunity to fundamentally reform the governance of football.”
"The world's professional footballers, through FIFPro, have a pivotal role to play in the structural overhaul of football. We are deeply committed to achieving this critical outcome in conjunction with all of the game's key stakeholders,” the union said. "FIFPro insists that only flawless governance will be acceptable to protect the wellbeing of the players and the integrity of the game. The reform effort will fail without the direct involvement of the players."
Football Association vice-chairman and former Manchester United chief executive David Gill will reconsider his role on the committee as Britain's FIFA vice-president, he said in a statement.
"I respect Mr Blatter's decision but am pleased he is standing aside and by the clear determination for real change within FIFA. This in turn allows me to reconsider my position,” he said.
"FIFA has overseen a sordid empire of corruption," says watchdog Transparency International. #FIFA
— DW - Sports (@dw_sports) June 2, 2015
World Cup sponsor Coca-Cola welcomed Blatter's resignation as "a positive step."
"Our expectation remains that FIFA will continue to act with urgency to take concrete actions to fully address all of the issues that have been raised and win back the trust of all who love the sport of football,” Coca-Cola said.
The company added that it believes that “this decision will help FIFA transform itself rapidly into a much-needed 21st century structure and institution."
Top tier FIFA sponsor adidas reacts to Blatter's resignation pic.twitter.com/mz8S5Zcyyj
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 2, 2015
Head of German football Wolfgang Niersbach said he supports Blatter’s decision, saying "The decision is absolutely right, it's long overdue."
Niersbach added that “the tragic thing” was that Blatter had not done so earlier.
Political analyst from University of London Martin McCauley gives his take on #BLATTEROUT
"The US government does not have a view on who the president of FIFA is," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said at a briefing in Washington when asked to confirm that America had played no role in Blatter’s resignation.
Blatter stepping down as FIFA president comes a day after an NYT report said his #2 was allegedly involved in bribes http://t.co/6d7KvZ7TXc
— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) June 2, 2015
Chairman of the English Football Association, Greg Dyke, welcomed Blatter’s announcement, saying he believes “it is good news for world football and FIFA.”
“Change at the very top of FIFA is the necessary first step in delivering real reform of the organization,” Dyke said.
State Duma MP Aleksandr Sidyakin, reacting to Blatter’s resignation, Tweeted that a professional “with such huge experience would be welcome in the Russian Football Union” during preparations for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Blatter wasn't sole responsible, more have to follow. Transparency and voting reform, then we move on and bring back ethics. #FIFA
— Vincent Kompany (@VincentKompany) June 2, 2015
Switzerland’s office of attorney general (OAG) said that it is not investigating Blatter in connection with the FIFA corruption probe.
“Joseph S. Blatter is not under investigation by the OAG. His announced resignation will have no influence on the ongoing criminal proceedings," the attorney general is cited as saying by Reuters
Sepp Blatter’s resignation will have no influence on the ongoing criminal proceedings, Switzerland's office of attorney general (OAG) has said.
"Joseph S. Blatter is not under investigation by the OAG,” the attorney general said in a brief statement.
IOC President Thomas Bach: `We highly respect this decision of President Blatter to step down & to initiate the necessary reforms.'
— Steve Wilson (@stevewilsonap) June 2, 2015
Bach (contd): `and to make way for a new leadership of FIFA to drive these changes.'
— Steve Wilson (@stevewilsonap) June 2, 2015
Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, who gave in to Blatter during the vote last Friday, will run in the new FIFA election for president, AFP reported.
UEFA President Michel Platini called Blatter’s resignation a “difficult, but brave and right” decision.
Twitter goes ballistic after FIFA chief announces resignation
Sepp Blatter has taken this step to save the organization, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko has told the Tass news agency.
"Blatter's decision to step down will help to prevent the split in the organization, unite the football and finish the ongoing reforms, as well as to carry out the new ones," Mutko said.
Blatter quits #FIFA - @twitter goes ballistic #Blaxit Breaking LU's http://t.co/iamIUcTO4xpic.twitter.com/130MclJKTb
— IvorCrotty (@IvorCrotty) June 2, 2015
The new congress will take place between December 2015 and March 2016, the chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee, Domenico Scala, has said. He has taken the floor after Blatter.
Blatter announces his plans to quit as FIFA president and calls an extraordinary congress to elect his successor.
"I cherish FIFA most of all and always try to do the best for football and the organization,” Blatter says at a press conference in Switzerland. “I decided that I should keep running in elections. The election now is over, but the challenges remain. FIFA needs restructuring, the FIFA delegates have given me the mandate. But it is not supported by other members of FIFA and the clubs. Therefore, I ask to convene an extraordinary congress as soon as possible to elect my successor.”
Sepp Blatter welcomes the media to FIFA’s press conference.