Scandal-hit FIFA will hold an extraordinary executive committee meeting in July to discuss dates for the election to replace president Sepp Blatter, who announced his resignation last week.
Blatter tendered his resignation last Wednesday (AEST), less than a week after Swiss police staged a dawn raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich and arrested several officials on corruption charges filed by US prosecutors in New York and just a few days after being re-elected for a fifth term as FIFA president.
However, Blatter is intent on staying in office until his successor is appointed and wants to lead the effort to clean up his federation.
This week the European Parliament called for Blatter to resign from his post immediately. “The European Parliament … demand, among other things, the immediate resignation of FIFA president Joseph Blatter,” it read.
“Parliament welcomes Joseph Blatter’s resignation as FIFA president and calls on the federation to select an interim leader to replace him.
“FIFA should put in place a transparent, balanced and democratic decision-making process, including for the election of the new president, adds the resolution, which was passed by a show of hands.”
It seems Blatter was unfazed by the demand.
After the EU parliament’s comments, FIFA released a statement saying Blatter was staying put until the Congress.
“FIFA is perplexed by the European Parliament’s resolution,” a FIFA spokesman said.
“As is well known, following his re-election, the FIFA president already decided, owing to the special circumstances in which FIFA finds itself, to lay down his mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress.”
FIFA say there are “various date options” for the extraordinary Congress and did not confirm a report by the BBC that the election would take place on December 16.
Last week, FIFA’s audit and compliance committee chairman and the man responsible for overseeing the election, Domenico Scala, said it could take place any time between December and March.
The president is elected by FIFA’s 209 member associations, which hold one vote each.
Resignations continue
The soap opera at FIFA took another turn when it announced that the organisation’s director of communications Walter de Gregorio De Gregorio was leaving after making a joke at FIFA’s expense on a Swiss chat show.
“The FIFA president, secretary-general and media director are sitting in a car. Who’s driving. Answer? The police,” De Gregorio said.
Becoming a prominent figure in the organisation, he had fronted up to the media storm two weeks ago in the immediate aftermath of the raids.
Source: Reuters/AFP
