Accused officials brought shame on soccer, says Fifa's Sepp Blatter
Fifa president rejects calls to resign and says he could not 'monitor' all the game's leading figures
Fifa president Sepp Blatter last night broke his silence on the corruption crisis engulfing soccer, saying that accused officials had brought shame and humiliation on the sport’s global governing body.
Hours after defying a face-to-face demand from his vice-president Michael Platini to resign, Blatter told the opening of Fifa’s annual congress in Zurich that he could not be blamed for the controversy as he could not “monitor” every official.
“The next few months will not be easy for Fifa. I am sure more bad news will follow but it is necessary to begin to restore trust,” the 79-year-old Blatter said.
“We cannot allow the reputation of football and Fifa to be dragged through the mud any longer. It has to stop here.”
On the eve of a scheduled vote for the Fifa presidency that he is expected to win, Blatter called the scandals “unprecedented” and said the “actions of individuals bring shame and humiliation on football and demand action had change from us all”.
Seven Fifa officials were arrested in Zurich on Wednesday and other leading figures charged as both the United States and Switzerland investigated allegations of bribery and money laundering stretching back more than two decades.
