Zurich: Sepp Blatter today resigned as president of FIFA as a mounting corruption scandal engulfed world football's governing body.
The 79-year-old Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term on Friday, two days after a corruption crisis erupted and seven soccer officials were arrested in Zurich ahead of the FIFA congress.
Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference, Blatter said “this mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football.”
Blatter said that despite his re-election victory “FIFA needs a profound restructuring.”Elections are expected to take place sometime between December and March.
Elections are expected to take place sometime between December and March."I will continue to exercise my function (until the new election)," Blatter said.
Blatter said he reached the decision after he "thoroughly considered my presidency and ... (about) the last 40 years in my life."
His resignation came less than a week after Swiss police arrested seven FIFA officials, including two vice presidents, at a Zurich hotel. The arrests were carried out on behalf of US prosecutors who accuse the seven, and eight other suspects, of involvement in $150 million of bribes
