FIFA News: Sepp Blatter Seeks to be Soccer Body's Honorary President While US Charges More Officials With Corruption
Sepp Blatter, the suspended International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) President, has expressed his desire to be the honorary president of the soccer-governing body despite the corruption issues haunting him and other officials.
Russian news agency, TASS, said that Blatter's advisor, Klaus Stohlker, announced the FIFA official's plan.
"He is attempting to be elected honorary president of FIFA," Stohlker noted.
TASS detailed that Blatter, who was reelected for a fifth consecutive term last May, announced his plan to resign four days after reelection.
Sports Illustrated said this was brought by the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation on the widespread corruption involving FIFA officials.
He reportedly claimed that he will continue functioning as FIFA president until a new head is elected come February 26, 2016.
But his leadership did not last long, as he was suspended for 90 days by FIFA's ethics committee after criminal proceedings were brought against him by the Attorney General of Switzerland "on suspicion of criminal mismanagement as well as -- alternatively -- on suspicion of misappropriation."
This specifically had to do with the 2006 World Cup television contract and the "controversial payment" for UEFA President, Michel Platini, last 2011," as per Sports Illustrated.
Cameroonian former athlete and sports executive, Issa Hayatou, was later appointed as acting chief until the February elections.
On Thursday, 16 other officials of FIFA were charged by US authorities after the arrest of two high-ranking officials -- Alfredo Hawit and Juan Angel Napout -- were made, BBC reported.
It added that among those charged for the "criminal schemes involving well over $200m (£132m) in bribes and kickbacks" are former Brazil federation heads, Ricardo Teixeira, Ariel Alvarado, Rafael Callejas, Brayan Jimenez, Rafael Salguero, Hector Trujillo, Reynaldo Vasquez, Manuel Burga, Carlos Chavez, Luis Chiriboga, Marco Polo del Nero, Eduardo Deluca, Jose Luis Meiszner and Romer Osuna.
With the arrests, US Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, said the betrayal of trust was "outrageous."
"The scale of corruption alleged herein is unconscionable. And the message from this announcement should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows, hoping to evade our investigation: you will not wait us out; you will not escape our focus," Lynch said in the BBC report.
Meanwhile, CNN said the charges filed prove that the corruption probe is causing a lot of problems for FIFA.
In a statement quoted by CNN, FIFA said they already knew of the arrests made on its two officials.
"FIFA will continue to cooperate fully with the U.S. investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General. FIFA will have no further comment on today's developments," the statement furthered.