A look at FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Jun 2, 2015, 10:36 AM
FIFA President Sepp Blatter speaks during a press conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, Tuesday, June 2, 2015. Sepp Blatter says he will resign from his position amid corruption scandal and is promising to call for fresh elections to choose a successor. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)
(Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)
ZURICH (AP) — A brief look at Sepp Blatter, who said Tuesday he would resign as FIFA president amid a widening corruption scandal:
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Age: 79
Country: Switzerland
Background: FIFA President since 1998, re-elected for a fifth term on Friday at FIFA congress. Has worked for FIFA since 1975, including 17 years as secretary general. Member of the International Olympic Committee.
Corruption scandal: U.S. authorities arrested seven soccer officials in Zurich ahead of the FIFA congress. They were among 14 indicted on corruption charges in the U.S. Blatter was not named in the investigation. In a separate Swiss probe, FIFA’s headquarters were raided in an investigation into wrongdoing related to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests. The Swiss attorney general’s office says Blatter is not under investigation in Switzerland.
2015 Election: Blatter defeated lone challenger Prince Ali of Jordan 133-73 on Friday at the FIFA congress. Africa and Asia made up the majority of his support. European governing body UEFA was the most vocal opponent, along with Australia and the United States.
Resignation: Said he would step down and promised to hold new elections between December and March.
Quote: “This mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football.”
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