Blatter warns of 'more bad news' for tainted FIFA

AFP

Beleaguered FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Thursday warned of "more bad news" for football's scandal tainted world body but rejected calls to resign over a widening corruption scandal.

Blatter -- who faces a reelection vote Friday -- opened FIFA's annual congress by saying he could not be blamed for the corruption controversy which even drew Russia's President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron into the fray.

But after the arrest of seven top football officials at the FIFA hotel on Wednesday Blatter warned that the storm is not over.

"The next few months will not be easy for FIFA. I am sure more bad news will follow but it is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organisation," the 79-year-old said,

"We cannot allow the reputation of football and FIFA to be dragged through the mud any longer. It has to stop here," he added.

Blatter called the scandals "unprecedented" and said the "actions of individuals bring shame and humiliation on football and demand action and change from us all."

He spoke hours after a showdown with European football chief Michel Platini who called on Blatter to quit.

Platini said he confronted Blatter at an emergency meeting of the heads of the the six regional confederations.

The UEFA president said he was "sickened" and "disgusted" at the arrests and a raid by Swiss police on FIFA headquarters as part of a corruption inquiry into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

The seven arrested in Zurich are among 14 people accused by US authorities of taking more than $150 million in bribes.

"Today I have come to ask you to quit FIFA, to resign from FIFA, to leave FIFA because its image is bad and we can no longer go on like this," Platini said he told Blatter in front of the other presidents.

Blatter only replied in a private conversation after. "He told me: 'Michel we know each other well, but it's too late. I cannot leave today when the Congress starts this afternoon."

Blatter is remaining defiant despite mounting pressure over the scandals.

Sponsors like credit card giant Visa said it would "reassess" its sponsorship if FIFA does not clean up the sport.

Unless FIFA rebuilds a corporate culture with "strong ethical practices" at its heart, "we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship," Visa said.

Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald's and Budweiser also spoke out against the corruption scandal.

Even International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said in front of Blatter that FIFA must change.

"I would very much like to encourage you to continue and strengthen your co-operation with the relevant authorities to shed full light on the concerned methods and to take all necessary measures to address such grave allegations," Bach told the FIFA opening ceremony.

Blatter has not been personally implicated in the scandals and Swiss authorities said there were no immediate plans to question him.