Blatter Responds to FIFA Financial Scandal: More Bad News on the Way

Sepp Blatter, the Secretary General of FIFA, after the arrest of seven FIFA officials and widespread criticism from global football and political figures, announced in a press conference that bribers are in the minority and will be dealt with. According to AFP, Mr. Blatter on Thursday evening, June 7, at the opening ceremony of the FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, stated that such a situation had never been experienced in FIFA before, saying: "FIFA is like a community, and just as in a community, despite the law and police, there are individuals who violate the law, the same has happened in FIFA; those who have taken bribes in FIFA have been in the minority." He further mentioned the elections on Friday and his competition with the Jordanian prince, stating: "If re-elected as FIFA president, we will strive to establish order and cleanse football of these events." Mr. Blatter also announced that "more bad news is on the way," emphasizing that the process of rebuilding trust must begin. He also stated that with this unprecedented scandal, world football has been subjected to shame and humiliation. The Swiss government has barred Mr. Blatter from leaving the country following the recent scandal and the arrest of FIFA officials. Following the arrest of seven senior FIFA officials on charges of financial corruption, widespread reactions have emerged from football and even political figures regarding Mr. Blatter and the performance of this federation. Michel Platini, the president of UEFA, stated in a press conference on Thursday that he has amicably asked Sepp Blatter to resign from his position and not run in the next election. Mr. Platini announced that in the upcoming elections, European federations will support the Jordanian candidate for FIFA, Ali bin Hussein, saying: "People no longer want Blatter. FIFA is no longer strong, and that is not a good thing." He mentioned his meeting with Sepp Blatter and his request for his resignation, stating: "Blatter said it is too late for that, and on the day the FIFA Congress is held, I cannot resign; if he had resigned today, it would have been better for his image." The UEFA president continued: "I know what his strategy is. He wants to talk to everyone at the congress to gain votes, and when elected, he will say that federations voted for me and I must stay in FIFA." Despite the support of the UEFA president and European federations for the Jordanian candidate for FIFA presidency, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced today that it will support Sepp Blatter in tomorrow's elections. The AFC stated in its announcement that it opposes the postponement of the FIFA election, saying: "We all oppose corruption in any form in football. Asian football also agrees with any investigation into World Cup hosting cases and will do everything to clarify the facts; regarding tomorrow's elections, our position in the AFC is that, as discussed at the Sao Paulo Congress in 2014, we will support Sepp Blatter." Following the arrests of several senior FIFA officials and widespread criticism of the current president of FIFA, some high-ranking officials from European countries have commented on this matter. In this regard, British Prime Minister David Cameron criticized Mr. Blatter's performance, calling for him to resign and not run for FIFA presidency again. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond also stated in an interview with the BBC that "FIFA has become derailed, and there is a fundamental problem at the heart of FIFA, and the governing body of world football needs reforms." French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also called for the postponement of the FIFA elections, stating that "allegations of financial corruption have been raised for several years, and some time must pass to clarify the truth of the matter; currently, the situation is deplorable." On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin, supporting Sepp Blatter, accused the United States of interfering in FIFA's affairs. According to AFP, Mr. Putin, who appeared on a television program on Thursday, said: "We are once again witnessing a campaign by the United States; they are always looking to question the legitimacy of everything and advance their own interests." He described the arrest of some senior FIFA officials as a conspiracy by the Americans to prevent Sepp Blatter from being elected as FIFA president, stating that Russia will always support Blatter. Russia was selected as the host of 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 and nine FIFA officials, of which the seven arrested individuals were among them. U.S. officials have accused these media and individuals of financial corruption and receiving bribes totaling $150 million. Following these arrests, FIFA's ethics committee suspended 11 of its members from any football-related activities. Among the 11 names are Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands and Eugenio Figueredo from Uruguay, who were among those arrested in Zurich, two figures who were previously FIFA vice presidents.