FIFA’s long serving president Sepp Blatter has finally bowed to pressure and resigned just days after being re-elected.
Sepp Blatter was re-elected for a 5th term as FIFA president last Friday amid the arrest of seven top colleagues two days before the vote, as part of a US prosecution.
A new president of FIFA is now set to be elected later next September at an extraordinary FIFA congress or early 2016 whichever is earlier.
Announcing his resignation Blatter acknowledged that he was losing international support saying,”my mandate does not appear to be supported by everybody.
He added:”the next ordinary FIFA congress will take place on 13 May, 2016 in Mexico City.
“This would create unnecessary delay and I will urge the executive committee to organise an extraordinary congress for the election of my successor at the earliest opportunity.
“This will need to be done in line with Fifa’s statutes and we must allow enough time for the best candidates to present themselves and to campaign.”
Blatter had dismissed previous calls for him to handover power amid revelations of serious corruption in the World Cup bidding processes with millions said to have exchanged hands (bribes) to influence bidding outcomes.
The United States’ FBI last week made arrests of several of Blatter’s juniors over corruption and the net is said to be closing in on a number of officials including Sepp Blatter himself.
Sepp Blatter had created a system of patronage in FIFA managing to keep himself at the top post for years, a strategy that resembles Mugabe’s long stay in power, analysts charge.
As Blatter falls, Zimbabweans this week asked if their own football association (ZIFA) leader Cuthbert Dube will go.
Zimbabwe’s football has been dogged by iconic FIFA failures, corruption and match-fixing scandals damaging the image of the national team.