Sepp Blatter just got punked. At a press conference in Zurich today (July 20), British comedian Simon Brodkin flung a stack of American $1 bills at the outgoing FIFA chief; Brodkin said the money was for a 2026 World Cup bid for North Korea. Blatter looked startled and then walked off stage.
The stunt elicited a few chuckles from the crowd of reporters and photographers as Brodkin was escorted away. Watch it below:
And here’s another angle:
And one more for good measure:
“Lee Nelson” is one of Brodkin’s comedic personas. In 2013, Brodkin was arrested after he attempted to warm up with Manchester City before a Premier league match. A year later, he was taken away by police after trying to board a plane with the English World Cup team.
Ironically, the press conference at which Blatter was pranked had been called to announce the date of a special election for Blatter’s replacement (it will be held February 26). Blatter announced his intent to resign his post following a corruption investigation by the FBI, which rocked soccer’s international governing body and led to the arrests of several of its high-ranking members.
Blatter escaped direct accusation, but the scandal drew closer and closer to him, as multiple publications reported his top deputy, Jérôme Valcke, approved a $10 million payment to one of the officials indicted in the investigation.