Sepp Blatter Resigns from FIFA Presidency

Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, announced on Tuesday, June 2, that he would resign from his position following a widespread financial scandal in the world football federation. His resignation comes after he was re-elected for another four-year term on Friday, May 29, despite a heavy media atmosphere and the arrest of seven senior FIFA officials. His election was made possible after his Jordanian rival Ali bin Al-Hussein withdrew from the second round of voting on Friday, allowing Blatter, who received 133 votes in the first round, to remain president of FIFA for the fifth consecutive time. According to the Associated Press, the 79-year-old FIFA president said on Tuesday that he would hold new elections to determine his successor. In a press conference, he stated, "It does not seem that this decision is supported by the football world." Blatter emphasized that despite his re-election, "FIFA needs deep structural changes." New elections are expected to be held between December and March (December to April next year). Blatter, while reading his statement seriously in French, said, "I will continue to perform my duties until the new elections." He then left the press conference without answering reporters' questions. Three days prior, Blatter faced questions regarding FIFA's financial corruption and the possibility that the United States might issue a warrant for his arrest. Blatter said, "I made this decision after reviewing my presidency (of FIFA) and 40 years of my life." The U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment on Blatter's resignation. The Attorney General of Switzerland also stated that Blatter is not under criminal investigation in Switzerland. Blatter's decision to resign was welcomed by Michel Platini, one of his most serious critics. Platini said, "It was a difficult, courageous, and correct decision." Platini, who has criticized Blatter's performance on many occasions, may be one of the candidates for the FIFA presidency. Blatter joined FIFA in 1975 as a technical director for project development. He became secretary-general in 1981 and was the right-hand man of Brazilian João Havelange, who was FIFA president for 17 years. In 2011, Blatter also promised to combat issues related to financial corruption, which was not very successful. In his statement on Tuesday, he said, "Now that I am no longer a candidate, I am no longer bound by any potential constraints arising from the elections, and I can pursue fundamental and long-term reforms that surpass and go beyond similar activities in the past." The FIFA scandal came to light after seven senior FIFA officials were arrested by Swiss police on June 2. These arrests occurred after the U.S. Department of Justice issued an indictment against five sports media outlets and nine FIFA officials, including the seven arrested individuals. U.S. officials have accused these media outlets and individuals of financial corruption and accepting bribes totaling $150 million. Following these arrests, FIFA's ethics committee suspended 11 of its members from any football-related activities. This list includes Jeffrey Webb from the Cayman Islands and Eugenio Figueredo from Uruguay, who were among those arrested in Zurich, both of whom were previously FIFA vice presidents.