(Newswire.net — June 2, 2015) — Zurich, Swiccerland – The ‘game is still on’ for the FIFA presidency, after Sepp Blatter decided to resign. The FIFA corruption scandal shocked the world last week when manytop managers were arrested in Zurich prior to the election where Sepp Blatter was reelected for the fifth time to be the president of the multibillion dollar world soccer organization.
Amid the corruption scandal, the World Cup bidding regularity was questioned by the US, who lost the 2022 World Cup bid to Qatar.
A FIFA representative confirmed that Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup and the corruption tsunami seems to be settling down, however the investigation is far from over. Amid the latest revelations was that financial dishonesty may have reach Blatter himself, this may be part of the reason that the 79-years-old FIFA president said he will resign from soccer’s governing body.
“This mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football,” Blatter said Tuesday at a hastily arranged news conference in Zurich. “FIFA needs a profound restructuring.”
Blatter announced that new elections, which will take place sometime between December and March.
“I will continue to exercise my function (until the new election),” said Blatter, reading the statement at a news conference from which he walked off without taking questions.
The Swiss attorney general said Blatter was not under investigation in Switzerland, however the investigation is far from over. The US Department of Justice said it would have no comment, Business Insider reported Tuesday.
One of Blatter’s biggest oponents, soccer legend Michel Platini said Blatter made a “difficult and brave” decision, AP reported. Platini is now expected to run in the next FIFA president elections with great odds to win.
“Since I shall not be a candidate, and am therefore now free from the constraints that elections inevitably impose, I shall be able to focus on driving far-reaching, fundamental reforms that transcend our previous efforts,” Blatter said.
According to MSN News, the new election will be overseen by Domenico Scala, the chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee.
“There is significant work to be done to regain the trust of the public,” Scala said.