Sepp Blatter respond to British press reports about FIFA corruption

[Magda Hassan]

I'm sure Blatter is devastated. Just devastated. ::runaround::

Blatter: My hands tied over report into alleged World Cup bidding corruption

- last updated Sat 27 Sep 2014 FIFA boss Sepp Blatter. Photo: PA FIFA president Sepp Blatter has rejected calls to publish a secret report into alleged World Cup bidding corruption.
The report into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was compiled by FIFA's independent investigator Michael Garcia but Blatter and FIFA's legal chief say any decision on publishing the report is out of their hands and would threaten the confidentiality that had been guaranteed to the 75 witnesses.
Garcia himself and a number of FIFA executive committee members including Northern Ireland's Jim Boyce have called for the report to be published. Russia won the bid for the 2018 World Cup - England's rival bid received the fewest votes - while Qatar will stage the 2022 tournament.
Any decision to publish now rests the German judge, Hans-Joachim Eckert, who is considering the report and will announce his findings in November.
Blatter told a news conference in Zurich: "We are bound by the regulations which have been accepted and the report of the investigatory chamber first has to go to the adjudicatory chamber and we know now at the beginning of November [the chairman] will be ready to give his report."
FIFA's legal director Marco Villiger added: "The principle of confidentiality enshrined in the [ethics] code and if not perhaps certain witnesses or whistleblowers might not co-operate to the same extent if confidentiality is not guaranteed.
"It is up to the adjudicatory committee to decide, not the executive committee, if the confidentiality guaranteed to 75 witnesses will be lifted."
Blatter, who refused to clarify whether he had returned his £16,400 watch - one of 65 handed out by the Brazil FA in June - following an order by the ethics committee, also confirmed to the executive committee that he will stand for a fifth terms as FIFA president at the election in May.
He said: "I have announced to the executive committee that I will respect the demands and pleas of different associations and federations to serve FIFA for a fifth mandate if they are happy with me to be elected on May 29 next year."
There was one significant move by FIFA's executive committee, who took a decision to ban the third-party ownership of players. The system is already banned in some countries including Britain but is common in South America where most players have their economic rights owned by agents or other parties, who take a big chunk of any transfer fee.
There will be a transition period of three or four years before the ban kicks in - the decision on how long that will be is to be taken by a working group headed by former FA chairman Geoff Thompson.
Blatter can count on the support of Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa come election time.
Shaikh Salman said on the AFC website: "Joseph S Blatter has always been supportive of Asia and has placed great importance in the development of Asian football through various FIFA programmes. Our growth in world football can also be credited to the dynamic relationship that the AFC has with FIFA under the guidance of Mr Blatter.
"Mr Blatter has decades' worth of experience in governing world football, therefore I have every confidence that he will continue to play an important role in its development."

http://www.itv.com/sport/football/articl...orruption/