Blatter takes a battering

29 May 2015 - 02:28 By Reuters

Pressure mounted on Fifa president Sepp Blatter yesterday as the corruption scandal engulfing world soccer's governing body drew warnings from major sponsors and criticism from senior Western politicians. Despite Fifa's assertions that it was business as usual following the arrest of seven senior figures on US corruption charges, Blatter kept out of sight yesterday, failing to show up at a medical conference.Instead, he chaired an emergency Fifa meeting with top soccer officials as the body faced the gravest crisis in its 111-year historyBlatter is expected to be re-elected as Fifa president for a fifth term today.The embattled 79-year-old Swiss national was also conspicuous by his absence on Wednesday when he failed to attend a meeting of African soccer delegates, assembled in Zurich ahead of today's Fifa congress.Fifa's chief medical officer, Michel D'Hooghe of Belgium, told the medical officers: "President Blatter apologises for not being able to come today because of the turbulences you have heard about."Those "turbulences" included a dawn raid by plain-clothes police at one of Zurich's most luxurious hotels on Wednesday, placing seven of the most powerful figures in football in custody and facing extradition to the US on corruption charges.Swiss authorities also announced a criminal investigation into the awarding of the next two World Cups, being hosted in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.Blue-chip sponsors, many of whom have solidly backed Fifa despite nearly 20 years of bribery and corruption allegations, voiced concern at events unfolding in Zurich.Visa said: "It is important that Fifa makes changes now, so that the focus remains on these going forward. Should Fifa fail to do so, we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship."Sportswear company Adidas said Fifa should do more to establish transparent compliance standards.Coca-Cola said the charges had "tarnished the mission and ideals of the Fifa World Cup and we have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations".US authorities said nine football officials and five sports media and promotions executives faced corruption charges involving more than $150-million in bribes.Uefa, the European soccer confederation, called for the Fifa congress, and the election of a new president, to be postponed.Uefa president Michel Platini, at a press conference yesterday, called for Blatter to quit as president of Fifa.British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said there was "something deeply wrong at the heart of Fifa". ..

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