Sepp Blatter Blames U.S. and England for FIFA Arrests
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Version 0 of 1. The embattled Sepp Blatter struck a familiarly defiant tone as he began his fifth term as president of FIFA, blaming others for the widespread corruption scandal that has engulfed international soccer. Mr. Blatter told reporters late on Friday and on Saturday that the United States authorities chose last week to make a raid in Zurich as an attempt to stop him from being re-elected as the head of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body. Mr. Blatter also said the arrests of 14 soccer and marketing officials had stemmed from resentment by England and the United States, which failed in bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He also suggested that the United States authorities acted because of American political support for Jordan, the country of Mr. Blatter’s rival in Friday’s FIFA election, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein. When FIFA has been confronted with charges of corruption, Mr. Blatter has often blamed larger nations to shore up his support among smaller, less developed countries. Mr. Blatter told a Swiss broadcaster that he was shocked by comments from Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch that unscrupulous officials had corrupted worldwide soccer for personal enrichment. “As a president, I would never make a statement about another organization without knowing,” Mr. Blatter told the Swiss broadcaster, RTS. The timing of the raid was not a coincidence, Mr. Blatter told RTS, saying, “The Americans, if they have a financial crime that regards American citizens, then they must arrest these people there and not in Zurich when we have a congress.” On Saturday, Mr. Blatter said at a news conference that he did not believe he would be arrested and denied that he was the unnamed FIFA official accused in Wednesday’s indictments of offering a $10 million bribe in an attempt to influence the vote for the 2010 World Cup. “I have especially no concerns about my person,” Mr. Blatter said. |