While Sepp Blatter reaffirmed his commitment to eliminating corruption from FIFA, should it exist, he disclosed having received an envelope of cash prior to his presidency in 1998.
Next week, the 75-year-old plans to present proposals during the FIFA Congress aimed at addressing past corruption allegations and ticket touting involving senior FIFA officials.
Although Blatter is keeping the specifics under wraps, they encompass empowering the congress—comprised of all 208 member nations—to elect the chairmen for three important committees.
He asserts he has never engaged in corrupt practices, yet he disclosed being approached for a bribe before assuming the FIFA presidency, though he refrained from identifying the individual involved.
“Once, while I was secretary-general, I received an envelope, and there was some money in it,” he recounted.
“I couldn’t turn it down because he put it in my pocket. Upon returning to FIFA, I handed it to the finance director, who deposited the money into the Swiss Bank Corporation account at that time and notified the individual that ‘the money you gave to the secretary-general is in that bank,’ after which he retrieved it a few days later. It became explicitly clear that one should not attempt to give money to anyone associated with FIFA.”
Blatter’s bid for re-election as president has been overshadowed by new claims of bribery and corruption within soccer’s governing body, particularly concerning the controversial decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Officials from Qatar have termed the assertions that they bribed voters as “distressing, insulting, and incomprehensible,” while attempting to undermine the whistleblower currently under investigation by FIFA.
A statement indicated that the whistleblower, who provided information to The Sunday Times, was likely an “embittered” former employee “with a significant axe to grind.”
Blatter expressed his disappointment upon learning that Amadou Diallo, a former FIFA employee and close associate of Mohamed bin Hammam—his rival for the presidency—had been referred to in the UK Parliament as the “fixer” connected to bribes related to the Qatar 2022 World Cup bid targeting two FIFA executive committee members—claims that have also been refuted.
Buford Balony says: You can’t believe a word this guy or FIFA says. A totally corrupt organisation.
