February 29 – Sepp Blatter says a weight has been lifted from his shoulders and that he is at peace with himself – even though he has left FIFA under the darkest of clouds.
“I had this burden on me. And now it is finished,” Blatter told The Associated Press less than 24 hours after being replaced by Gianni Infantino as FIFA president.
Any hopes Blatter had of personally handing over to his successor were dashed when his appeal against being banned was upheld, albeit reduced from eight to six years, while he is still subject of a criminal investigation by the Swiss justice authorities.
Neverthless, said Blatter, it was relief to be out of the organisation he has run for 18 years. He watched the election on television from his daughter’s apartment.
“Being suspended or not, I was still the elected president. And now it is finished,” Blatter said. When his presidency officially ended, he and his daughter shared a bottle of white wine according to AP.
“It was important for FIFA to have a change,” said Blatter who had previously been at pains to express his right to be at the election. (Infantino) is a young man, he is powerful, he has a lot of energy, and I am sure he will do the right job,”
“If a majority of the 207 national associations so clearly indicated where they want to go then I can only say, ‘Gianni, good luck and do it.'”
Blatter said he knew what the outcome would be as soon as Friday’s first-round vote gave Infantino 88 votes to pre-ballot favorite Sheikh Salman’s 85. “This means that everybody is going for the winner for the second (round),” said Blatter.
“I was not surprised with the result when I have known the day before that there was no longer the packages by the confederations,” he said, referring to potential bloc votes. “Finally, it was the African votes that have made all the difference.”
One perceived reason for Infantino’s surprise victory was promising to more than double cash donations for development to the 209 member federations. “They would have killed me (if I had done the same thing),” said Blatter. “I was always criticised by saying, ‘He buys votes.'”
After a recent health scare, a philosophical Blatter said he would be fully fit in a few days and said the support of his family and friends would stand him in good stead.
“Love, tenderness, family – that’s it,” he said. “These are good assets. I have realised that. Now I have another approach to my life.”
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