Joseph “Sepp” Blatter, known as the most powerful man in sports before a US-led corruption investigation cast a dark shadow on the global football organizing body, said today (June 2) that he will resign as FIFA’s president.
The unexpected news comes less than a week after a brazen and unrepentant Blatter easily won re-election for a fifth term despite a major bribery investigation spearheaded by the US attorney general’s office. The probe was drawing nearer to Blatter, with several news outlets reporting yesterday that his top deputy, FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke, had approved a $10 million payment from FIFA to a soccer official who was indicted in the US investigation.
Blatter said at a news conference that he will stay in office until a new president can be chosen, with elections set to take place between December and March. Here is a video clip of his full statement:
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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