By Paul Nicholson and Andrew Warshaw
June 2 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has sensationally announced he is to resign. Just four days after triumphantly being elected president for a fifth term at the FIFA Congress last week.
Blatter, who won a fifth term of office only last Friday, told a globally streamed press conference that he was stepping down at the age of 79.
The developing scandal around the US Department of Justice investigations that rocked the world of FIFA last week with the arrest of seven FIFA officials from the Americas at their Zurich hotels, plus the on-going Swiss investigation into the 2018 and 2022 award of the World Cup has continued unabted this week.
Last Friday Blatter won a 133-73 over Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan and gave no indication in his victory speech – or in his press conference on Saturday morning – that he was planning such drastic action.
Even this morning, FIFA announced that he was planning to attend the forthcoming womens World Cup in Canada.
Blatter spoke for a mere six minutes and was followed at the press conference by Domenico Scala, who chairs FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, and said that an extraordinary congress could be organised any time between December and March under the statutes.
He also stated there would be full reform of the way executive committee members, until now chosen by their confederations, would be selected. Everything, said Scala, would be on the table as far as reform was concerned.
In his resignation speech, at what could well be his final news conference that was called amid huge tension with only 90 minutes’ notice and was delayed by 45 minutes, Blatter said: “I appreciate and love FIFA more than anything else and only want to do the best for football and for our institution.”
“I had decided to stand again as president because I was convinced it was the best option. Now the elections are closed. But the challenges that FIFA is facing have not come to an end [and] FIFA needs profound restructuring.”
Blatter will remain in charge until he gives up the presidency. The big question is who will replace him. Prince Ali, who until Blatter’s surprise statement had all but walked away from FIFA at the age of 39 after his defeat last Friday, seems certain to throw his hat into the ring a second time. Whether anyone will take him on is one of many intriguing questions.
In his resignation speech, Blatter said: “I have been reflecting deeply about my presidency and about the 40 years in which my life has been inextricably bound to FIFA and the great sport of football.
“I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football. I felt compelled to stand for re-election, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organisation. That election is over but Fifa’s challenges are not. FIFA needs a profound overhaul…
“Since I shall not be a candidate, and am therefore now free from the constraints that elections inevitably impose, I shall be able to focus on driving far-reaching, fundamental reforms that transcend our previous efforts.
“For years, we have worked hard to put in place administrative reforms, but it is plain to me that while these must continue, they are not enough.”
“The executive committee includes representatives of confederations over whom we have no control, but for whose actions FIFA is held responsible. We need deep-rooted structural change.
“The size of the executive committee must be reduced and its members should be elected through the FIFA congress. The integrity checks for all executive committee members must be organised centrally through FIFA and not through the confederations.
“We need term limits not only for the president but for all members of the executive committee.
“I have fought for these changes before and, as everyone knows, my efforts have been blocked. This time, I will succeed.”
The highly regarded Scala described Blatter’s move as “difficult and courageous. In the current circumstances, this is the most responsible way to ensure an orderly transition. I know that he has truly acted with the best interests of FIFA and football in his heart,”
“By making this announcement, he has created an opportunity for us to go further than FIFA has before – to fundamentally change the way in which FIFA is structured.”
Scala said such reforms “will include fundamental changes to the way in which this organisation is structured – steps that go far beyond the actions that have been implemented to this point.”
“For years, FIFA has worked hard to put in place governance reforms, but as the President has stated, this must go further to implement deep-rooted structural change,” said Scala.
“Many of the issues that have been raised in the past relate to the actions of individuals. In order to ensure that those who represent FIFA are of the highest integrity, FIFA will seek to implement FIFA-driven integrity checks for all Executive Committee members. Such a reform was previously proposed by the Independent Governance Committee but was rejected by the Confederations. Today these checks are the responsibility of the confederations to which these members belong. This must change. Confederations actions must be consistent with their speech.”
Prince Ali told CNN on Monday he would have “immediately resigned” if had been in Blatter’s position. “He is responsible, and I hope that at some stage he actually does take responsibility for actions” he said. “At the end of the day this happened under his watch.”
Although Blatter has not been accused of any wrongdoing, he has come under almost intolerable pressure a week after the two dual corruption investigations were launched into his organisation.
Reaction to Blatter’s resignation was swift with UEFA president Michel Platini, who has asked Blatter to stand down in the Emergency Committee meeting on Thursday of last week saying: “It was a difficult decision, a brave decision, and the right decision.”
English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke was less magnaminious saying he welcomed the news and continued his assault on FIFA and its elected officials from confederations and national federations saying: “This is great news for football. Now we can get someone in and find out all the wrong ‘uns over all the years and get it sorted.”
He took the opportunity to have another jibe at the 2018 and 2022 World Cup awards to Russia and Qatar saying: “Now we can go back and look at those two World Cups. If I was in Qatar today I wouldn’t be feeling very comfortable.”
While Blatter’s departure seems unlikely to affect the staging of the World Cup in Russia in 2018, the status of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar could now be back in the mix.
Contact the writers of this story at moc.l1734847970labto1734847970ofdlr1734847970owedi1734847970sni@n1734847970osloh1734847970cin.l1734847970uap1734847970 or moc.l1734847970labto1734847970ofdlr1734847970owedi1734847970sni@w1734847970ahsra1734847970w.wer1734847970dna1734847970.