FIFA President Sepp Blatter must resign, anti-corruption group says

Sepp Blatter was not among the 14 people who were indicted in New York on Wednesday on charges of corruption and bribery, but that doesn’t mean the longtime FIFA president is escaping scrutiny.

Less than 48 hours before a vote is scheduled to take place to determine whether Blatter will serve a fifth term as FIFA president, anti-corruption organization Transparency International is calling for Blatter to resign.

Cobus de Swardt, Transparency International’s managing director, criticized Blatter’s presidency and called for his immediate resignation. He cited allegations of “systematic corruption” within FIFA as the catalyst behind the group’s position.

Transparency International, which monitors political and organizational corruption, also called for a delay in the FIFA presidential elections, which are scheduled for Friday.

Here is De Swardt’s take on Blatter and FIFA:

“The warning signs for FIFA have been there for a long time. FIFA has refused to abide by many basic standards of good governance that would reduce the risk of corruption.

“These scandals have taken place under Sepp Blatter’s watch of FIFA, which spans almost two decades. For the sake of the fans, and good governance of football, it is time for him to step down. The elections for president are not credible if they are tainted with these allegations by the highest prosecuting authorities.

“Blatter must stand down and new elections called to mark a new era of FIFA leadership. At the same time there must be full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest and the pay of the executive committee members. Their hands need to be clean and seen to be clean.”