ZURICH, Switzerland (CelebrityAccess) — Amidst a growing corruption scandal, embattled FIFA president Joseph "Sepp" Blatter announced on Tuesday that he will resign from his position and call for fresh elections.
Blatter's announcement comes just days after his re-election to a fifth term as the head of FIFA. Last week, officials in the U.S. and Switzerland charged 14 people, including both FIFA officials and sports marketing executives in a wide-ranging corruption probe centered on FIFA's determination of host countries for World Cup events.
In a hastily organized press conference, Blatter said that he will continue to serve as president until the new election, which is expected to take place at some point between December and March
Blatter said that he will use his remaining time in office to institute fundamental reforms at FIFA, which, in recent years, has earned a reputation for corruption.
"Since I shall not be a candidate, and am therefore now free from the constraints that elections inevitably impose, I shall be able to focus on driving far-reaching, fundamental reforms that transcend our previous efforts," Blatter said during the press conference.
While Blatter was not among the list of officials that have been indicated, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has said on several occasions that the initial round of indictments was the beginning of their probe and it seems quite likely that Blatter may be on their radar. According to the New York Times, Jérôme Valcke, Blatter's top deputy at FIFA, was involved in 10 million in bank transactions that are at the heart of the bribery scandal, bringing the investigation in close proximity to Blatter himself. – Staff Writers
