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Fifa president Sepp Blatter’s position at the helm of the world football governing body had become untenable and he had no choice but to resign given the swelling groundswell of opposition to his leadership of the organisation.
With bribery, racketeering and money laundering charges hanging over the heads of some of his key lieutenants following the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations indictment of 14 Fifa officials just days before the Fifa Congress, Blatter appeared brave and confident as he forged head with the elective indaba which delivered him another four year term.
But in a dramatic turn of events, the Swiss national, who has presided over the affairs of Fifa for 17 years, convened a hastily arranged press conference on Tuesday during which he announced his resignation. Reflecting on his 40- year association with the organisation, Blatter said he felt compelled to stand for re-election as he felt this was the best thing for the organisation but now that the election was over, Fifa challenges were not and the organisation needed an overhaul.
“While I have a mandate from the membership of Fifa, I do not feel I have a mandate from the entire world of football – the fans, players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at Fifa. Therefore I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as Fifa president until that election,” Blatter said.
We welcome his resignation as it will pave way for unfettered investigations into the bribery and corruption allegations rocking Fifa. We also feel his decision to go ahead with the Fifa congress and elections when the organisation was embroiled in a massive scandal was ill-advised and has now come back to haunt him.
We can only speculate that the investigation could be closing in on him hence his decision to step aside and allow for fresh elections and the overhaul of the organisation. The “smoking gun” appears to be further allegations of corruption which emerged on Tuesday with claims that Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke was linked to an alleged $10m (£6m) payment of bribes over South Africa’s bid to host the 2010 World Cup.
US media also said Blatter was being investigated by US officials as part of their inquiry into corruption at the world football body. US officials quoted in the New York Times said they hoped to gain the co-operation of some of the Fifa figures now under indictment on charges of racketeering and money laundering to try to build a case against Blatter.
Separately yesterday, Interpol issued a wanted persons alert for two former Fifa officials, Jack Warner and Nicolas Leoz, as well as four corporate executives. All six were on the list of 14 people indicted by the US authorities last week. Blatter’s fall from grace is likely to upset his most fervent supporters in Africa and Asia where he had built a cult following among football officials.
His iron grip on Fifa is down to the loyal backing of African and Asian football federations including the Zimbabwe Football Association whose president Cuthbert Dube voted for Blatter at last week’s Congress in Zurich. To his credit, Blatter is lauded for democratising the game of football by spreading it to all corners of the globe.
Under his stewardship, Fifa has moved away from its origins when it was little more than a private club for rich European nations where those from Africa, Asia and the Americas were shabbily treated and had no say in how it was run. The Blatter presidency saw Africa have its first World Cup (South Africa, 2010), as did Asia (Japan and South Korea, 2002).
The number of World Cup places for teams from the two continents has increased from two each to five for Africa and four for Asia. Football officials from nations beyond Europe are now an integral part of Fifa’s decision-making process. But along the way, the Fifa elites have also perfected the art of corruption.
Millions of dollars have exchanged hands in questionable transactions related to the running of the game. Blatter’s reign has been shrouded in murky dealings to the extent that even the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar could be reviewed.
It is therefore inconceivable that the man tasked with running the beautiful game with its billion dollar trappings could come out clean from his biggest test yet.
What is not in doubt is that Fifa needs a fresh start with credible individuals to steer it to a new era. The rot is too ingrained and deep rooted to pepper over its problems. The culture of sleaze and corruption is too institutionalised. A clean broom is required to rid the organisation of its rubbish.
Online Reporter