Fifa election begins as Blatter refuses to quit
Pressure grows on president as he calls for delegates to unite
VOTING on a Fifa president got under way today with Sepp Blatter showing no signs of bowing to pressure to quit after officials were arrested in a corruption probe.
As they prepared to vote, he told delegates: “Let’s show to the world that we are able to run this institution that is Fifa, that we can do that together”.
Mr Blatter, 79, and Prince Ali, 39, get 15 minutes to address the delegates at Fifa’s annual congress meeting in Zurich.
The 209 member football associations then vote in the ballot.
In the first round, a candidate must get 140 votes – two-thirds – to win outright. If that is not achieved, there will be a second round requiring a simple majority – whoever gets the most votes.
Earlier, Mr Blatter told delegates: “I know many people hold me ultimately responsible for the action and reputation for the global football community, whether it is a decision for the hosting of a World Cup or a corruption scandal.
“I cannot monitor everyone all of the time – if people want to do wrong, they will try to hide it.”
“But it must fall to me to bear responsibility for the reputation and well-being of our organisation and to find a way forward to fix things. I will not allow the actions of a few to destroy the hard work and the integrity of the vast majority of those who work so hard for football.”
His voice shook as he described the events of the past few days as an “unprecedented and difficult time for Fifa” and insisted corruption would be rooted out from “top to bottom”.
“The next few months will not be easy for Fifa, I’m sure more bad news may follow, but it is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organisation,” he said. “Let this be the turning point, more needs to be done to make sure everyone in football behaves responsibly and ethically and everywhere.”
His public appearance came af- ter the head of Uefa said he personally pleaded with Mr Blatter to give up his position ahead of today’s leadership elections.
Speaking at a press conference, Michel Platini also suggested he is open to the possibility of a World Cup boycott if the election rules in favour of Mr Blatter, who is seeking a fifth term.
Asked about a potential snub of Fifa competitions, Mr Platini said: “Uefa associations will meet in Berlin next week. We will be open to all options.”