October 12 – Sepp Blatter may not be able to take part in any footballing matters while under suspension by FIFA’s ethics committee but he says he is proud of his achievements, according to a Swiss newspaper.
“I am a fighter,” the Schweiz am Sonntag paper quoted Blatter as saying. “They can destroy me, but they cannot destroy my life’s work.”
The 79-year-old FIFA president has denied any wrongdoing and has filed an appeal to try to reverse the ban.
Schweiz am Sonntag also said it had information that Blatter had received messages of support from African and Asian football associations, asking him to rethink his decision to step down on February 26. By contrast, four of FIFA’s top-line sponsors recently requested him to stand down immediately in the wake on the ongoing corruption crisis which he has declined to do.
Blatter’s suspension technically ends just before the election to replace him and FIFA have scheduled an emergency meeting of its executive committee for October 20 in his absence, six days before the deadline for presidential nominations to succeed him.
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