Ali bin Al-Hussein Withdraws; Blatter Remains FIFA President

The election ceremony for the new president of the International Football Federation (FIFA) was held on Friday evening, June 8, but neither Sepp Blatter nor Ali bin Al-Hussein could secure the two-thirds majority of votes. Moments later, Ali bin Al-Hussein withdrew from the competition, and Blatter remained the president of FIFA. Reports indicate that Sepp Blatter received 133 votes and Ali bin Al-Hussein received 73 votes, with a total of 206 votes cast. In the first round of this election, a candidate would win by securing at least 140 votes out of a possible 209. The Swiss Sepp Blatter, with the withdrawal of the Jordanian prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, managed to remain president of FIFA for the fifth consecutive time for the next four years. In his victory speech after the FIFA election, Mr. Blatter announced that 'once again he will take command of the FIFA ship' and stated that he would not run for president again after this term, handing over FIFA to his successor after four years. According to Reuters, the FIFA president also stated for the next four years: 'I care for you, I love this job. I am not perfect. No one is perfect. Together we will move forward. Forward FIFA.' The arrest of seven senior FIFA officials in recent days led to significant controversies surrounding today's elections and widespread criticism of Sepp Blatter's performance. The FIFA presidential election took place under the shadow of a bomb threat that led to the evacuation of the event venue earlier today. According to Reuters, Swiss police ordered the evacuation of the FIFA General Assembly hall in Zurich after receiving a bomb threat. Bomb disposal teams immediately began searching for signs of a bomb using sniffer dogs and declared the area safe after ensuring it was secure. In today's FIFA election, members of the European Confederation (UEFA) cast 53 votes, Africa (CAF) 54 votes, Asia (AFC) 46 votes, North and Central America (CONCACAF) 35 votes, South America 10 votes, and Oceania 11 votes. Before the voting began today, the two candidates for the FIFA presidency delivered speeches. First, Ali bin Al-Hussein, the Jordanian candidate, noted that the world is watching us, stating: 'We are the guardians of football; a sport that can unite people and heal wounds. We have heard that our organization is morally bankrupt; even the darkest nights end with a new dawn.' Mr. bin Al-Hussein emphasized in another part of his speech that 'he will fix this mess.' After the Jordanian prince, Sepp Blatter, in his speech, took responsibility for recent events and promised to improve the current situation with the help of other members. Mr. Blatter also stated that FIFA does not need a revolution but rather progress and changes in some areas. Additionally, prior to the election on Friday, Sepp Blatter expressed suspicion regarding the timing of the arrests of FIFA members, which occurred two days before the election. According to AFP, Mr. Blatter remarked on the timing of the arrests: 'That arrests occurred two days before the election is not a good thing... I have small questions about this. Now everyone knows we are in crisis, and I believe the timing of these events was not coincidental.' The FIFA president further commented on the events occurring within his organization, stating: 'I will not allow the actions of a few to undermine all our efforts to improve football. We will cooperate with law enforcement to ensure all identified suspects are prosecuted; many blame me, but I cannot oversee everyone's actions.' Ali bin Al-Hussein, the Jordanian candidate competing against Sepp Blatter, reacted to the arrest of seven senior FIFA officials on charges of financial corruption, which led to widespread reactions from various political figures around the world directed at Sepp Blatter and the performance of this federation. According to Reuters, British Prime Minister David Cameron stated that Britain would not remain silent and would claim its rights from FIFA. Mr. Cameron had previously criticized Mr. Blatter's performance and called for him to resign and not run for FIFA presidency again. The British Prime Minister, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin's support for Sepp Blatter, stated: 'I do not understand Putin's concerns.' He said: 'Why should Putin be upset; we should be concerned about the dirt and corruption in football and we should loudly ask Blatter why Qatar and Russia were chosen to host the World Cup?' Mr. Putin had said on Thursday: 'Once again we are witnessing a campaign by the United States; they are always looking to undermine the legitimacy of everything and push things to their advantage.' Russia was selected as the host for the 2018 World Cup during Mr. Blatter's presidency. The United States, along with Switzerland, is investigating FIFA and exposing the misconduct of Blatter and his officials. The arrest of seven senior FIFA officials occurred on Wednesday morning, June 6, after the U.S. Department of Justice issued an indictment against five sports media outlets and nine FIFA officials, of which seven individuals were among those arrested. U.S. officials have accused these media outlets and individuals of financial corruption and receiving bribes totaling $150 million.