Reelected FIFA chief Sepp Blatter is now the focus of a federal corruption probe that’s already seen more than dozen of his elite soccer cabal jailed, and, accordingly, he’s tendered his resignation today.
U.S. officials, asking not to be identified, told the New York Times that Blatter is indeed the main object of their investigation, adding that they arrested his fellow FIFA cronies late last month in order to woo their cooperation and obtain an ironclad indictment.
Targeted soccer honcho Sepp Blatter has long been rumored to be the masterminding ringleader of world cup venue bribes and sponsorship payoffs, with even sports brands like Nike now falling under intense scrutiny as a result.
Blatter unexpectedly announced he was resigning at a Zurich press conference this morning where he also promised to schedule new elections ASAP, publicly acknowledging only that “FIFA needs a profound restructuring.”
Once he has been indicted, however, it will be much harder to dodge the question of his own culpability in FIFA’s runaway corruption because the 79-year-old has been its president since 1998.
In fact, in one way or another -- including his longstanding and controversial presidency -- Blatter’s been employed by the elite soccer organization for 40 years.
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