FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has announced he will stand for a fifth term as president, despite the ongoing corruption claims surrounding soccer’s world governing body.
“My mission is not finished … I’m ready to accompany you in the future,” he told FIFA’s congress in Brazil on Thursday (AEDT), a day before the World Cup starts.
“My mission is not finished yet and I tell you we will build the new FIFA. The (2015) congress will decide who will take this institution into the future. I am ready to take you forward,” he said.
Blatter also made the surprise move to bring in a system to allow managers to challenge the decisions of referees.
Blatter says managers could be given two challenges per match.
The proposal is unexpected given Blatter’s traditional support for referees and opposition to using technology.
Instead, Blatter says now, “I think it’s good to put the game and the control of the game in question.”
Any change must be approved by FIFA’s rules panel.
Earlier, Blatter said FIFA must change it ways in light of the corruption allegations surrounding Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid.
“Our world is changing. Our game is changing. Our organisation must also change,” Blatter told delegates.
“It is our duty to keep football going forward.
“It is our duty to lead by example and behave like an example, with integrity.”
Blatter ignored calls to resign as controversy continues over Qatar’s winning bid.
Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper has published reports alleging millions of dollars in bribes were paid to help Qatar secure the tournament over the bids of a number of other countries, including Australia.
FIFA’s chief investigator Michael Garcia will soon submit his report into the conduct of the process, in which Australia’s bid collapsed with just one single vote.
Blatter has become a controversial figure after a series of scandals surrounding FIFA.
On Tuesday, European delegates urged Blatter – who had said the claims about Qatar were motivated by racism – to live up to his earlier promises to stand down when his current term expires next year.
Blatter outlined a vision for FIFA to move forward and embrace “powerful opportunities”.
“My vision for FIFA in this changing world is this: we must become one of today’s pioneers of hope… we must carry the flame of honesty and responsibility and also respect,” he said.
“The job of managing international football and steering it on the right path is becoming more complex but also more challenging.
“There is much to be proud of but we must now push on and take football into a new era.
“There is more commercial interest and more media interest… with success and the higher profile we have now we more pressure and more responsibility.”
Brazil’s World Cup is set to open amid widespread protests at the nation’s cost of running the event, with Blatter saying FIFA supported “the right to peaceful protest and freedom of speech”.
Source: AAP