FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted “more bad news will follow” for the organisation as he claims the £100m corruption scandal is not his fault. Blatter claims he “can’t monitor everyone all the time.”
After refusing a request from UEFA president Michel Platini to stand down, Blatter told the FIFA congress in Zurich that, “If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it.”
The French chief of UEFA met Blatter one-on-one on Thursday and asked him to quit but he refused, saying it would not be possible before Friday’s presidential election.
Platini confirmed that all his member nations in Europe have been asked to vote for Blatter’s opponent, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, after two separate criminal probes were launched into FIFA.
And Platini has not ruled out the possibility of a World Cup boycott if Blatter is re-elected, saying “we will be open to all options.”
Also on Thursday, World Cup sponsor VISA threatened to end its partnership with FIFA over the latest crisis to engulf the world governing body, according a Sky Sports report.
VISA said its “disappointment and concern” was profound and called for “swift and immediate” action in the wake of a wave of arrests of football officials – including two FIFA vice-presidents – in Zurich on Wednesday on bribery, fraud and money-laundering charges following an FBI investigation.
A host of fellow sponsors have issued statements after a dramatic day in both Switzerland and the United States on Wednesday, but VISA’s was the most strongly worded.
“Our disappointment and concern with FIFA in light of (Wednesday’s) developments is profound,” the statement read.
“As a sponsor, we expect FIFA to take swift and immediate steps to address these issues within its organisation. This starts with rebuilding a culture with strong ethical practices in order to restore the reputation of the games for fans everywhere.
“VISA became a sponsor of FIFA because the World Cup is one of the few truly global sporting events with the power to unite people from around the world through a common love of football.
“Our sponsorship has always focused on supporting the teams, enabling a great fan experience, and inspiring communities to come together and celebrate the spirit of competition and personal achievement – and it is important that FIFA makes changes now, so that the focus remains on these going forward. Should FIFA fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship.”
Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola, meanwhile, released a statement saying the “serious allegations” had “tarnished the mission and ideals of the World Cup”.
It read, “We have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations. We expect FIFA to continue to address these issues thoroughly. FIFA has stated that it is responding to all requests for information and we are confident it will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities.”
And statement from Kia Motors read, “As a company that places the highest priority on ethical standards and transparency, Kia Motors is extremely concerned about the legal proceedings being taken against certain FIFA executives and will continue to monitor this situation closely.”
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