Sepp Blatter Resignation: FIFA President Announces Resignation Amid Corruption Controversy
Sepp Blatter announced on Tuesday that he will step down as FIFA president after the world governing body for soccer took a huge blow because of the recent corruption scandal involving top officials.
In a surprising press conference in Zurich, Blatter said he will vacate the post once a new president is elected. According to ESPN FC, a special election will be held between December 2015 and March 2016 to determine the successor to the post.
Blatter, who was reelected as president on Friday, said that "FIFA needs a profound overhaul" after several officials were arrested in Zurich because of corruption charges. While he honored the votes he got during the recent election, he said that stepping down will be for the best interest of the sport.
"I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football -- the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at FIFA," Blatter said in French, which was translated by FIFA.com. "Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective congress."
The United States Department of Justice recently filed racketeering charges against FIFA officials, which include two FIFA vice presidents and a FIFA executive committee member, for anomalies on marketing rights for soccer tournaments held in North and South American over the past two decades.
Reports indicated that soccer officials involved in the corruption scandal got more than $150 million in bribes.
Blatter, who has been a key figure in FIFA since 1975, said that he reflected on his years in the world governing body. He thought seeking reelection was a good move but quickly added that he also felt the need to move forward in order to start a significant overhaul.
"I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football," Blatter added. "I felt compelled to stand for reelection, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organization. That election is over but FIFA's challenges are not."
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