FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s resignation yesterday "served as a stunning coda to a dramatic sequence of events that began last Wednesday with a police raid at a five-star hotel, where seven soccer officials were arrested," according to a front-page piece by Borden, Schmidt & Apuzzo of the N.Y. TIMES. Blatter's resignation "is not immediate," as while FIFA's member nations will be called to elect a new president, they "must be given at least four months’ notice." FIFA Audit & Compliance Committee Chair Domenico Scala "indicated that the probable window for an election is between" December and March, with Blatter continuing his duties in the interim. Blatter said that he "would use his remaining time to focus on a program of reform" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/3). ESPN's Bob Ley called Blatter's sudden resignation "stunning" following the “tempestuous press conference that Blatter held with the world’s press on Saturday." Ley said the “trail of the money, the alleged bribes, has gotten closer and closer to the throne” (ESPN, 6/2).
LEGAL CASE MADE THE DIFFERENCE? The TIMES' Borden, Schmidt & Apuzzo cite sources as saying that in an effort "to build a case" against Blatter, U.S. officials "were hoping to win the cooperation of some of the FIFA officials now under indictment and work their way up the organization." The disclosure that U.S. law enforcement officials "are targeting him speaks to the legal vulnerability he may be facing." A source said that Blatter "had been advised by his legal counsel that continuing in his current position could make defending him against possible future prosecution more difficult." The source added that pressure on Blatter from soccer's corporate partners, as well as from various FIFA members, "increased considerably over the weekend" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/3). In L.A., Richard Serrano notes Blatter "has emerged as the leading target" and "the latest top subject" of the U.S. probe. A source said, "He's a target. He has been for a while" (L.A. TIMES, 6/3). Also in L.A., Wharton & Fenno cite a source as saying that prosecutors "hope some of those already charged will roll over on other FIFA officials" (L.A. TIMES, 6/3). FOXSPORTS.com's Kyle McCarthy cited reports in noting Blatter knew the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice "had targeted him as a part of their inquiry," and the "peril those investigations posed -- and the uncertainty they fostered -- made his position untenable." Instead of "consolidating his power, he ultimately decided to cede it" (FOXSPORTS.com, 6/2). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said Blatter likely is “worried that the FBI is going to indict him,” and then “maybe he would end up in jail alongside of all the people in that little circle right under him.” Kornheiser: “I don’t think Sepp Blatter would have done this if he didn’t think someone was at the door" ("PTI," ESPN, 6/2). ESPN’s Dan Le Batard said, "My guess is the government has a little more than perhaps Sepp Blatter thought that they had” ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 6/2).
SOMETHING HAS CHANGED IN RECENT DAYS: ESPN's Ian Darke said it "would be nice to think, wouldn’t it, that Sepp Blatter ... fell on his sword remembering that there are no indictments against him." But Darke speculated that "something has happened in the last four days that has changed everything here." Darke: "Somebody has confronted Sepp Blatter. It's not like him to not ride out the storm. Something has made him make this decision, and you wonder if they've given him some kind of ultimatum and said to him, ‘Look, either go or we're going to nail you’” (ESPN, 6/2). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Futterman & Robinson in a front-page piece note Blatter "had faced down pressure before," but in the past week there "have been unprecedented calls for boycotts of the World Cup and the creation of a competing event that would include countries in the Americas and Europe." Soccer officials in North and South America said that the '16 Copa America "is in doubt because of the continuing U.S. investigation" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/3).
WHY NOW? The GUARDIAN's Owen Gibson cites sources as saying that Blatter privately "was more concerned than he let on" about possible legal action against him. Sources added that Blatter "finally listened" in the face of a "promise from U.S. investigators that more indictments would follow and reading the scale and magnitude of the case being built up." In particular, his daughter Corinne "is believed to have encouraged him to stand down." Gibson notes Blatter could not have been "unaware of the fact that those closest to him over four decades at FIFA were being picked off one by one." Blatter "will want to go at a time of his choosing, giving himself a final six to nine months in which to dispatch enemies, settle scores and attempt to pass the organisation on to a chosen successor." Whether the FBI "will afford him that privilege remains to be seen" (
GUARDIAN, 6/3). Corinne Blatter said, "This decision has nothing to do with the accusations that are currently circulating. In the end it was simply a matter of it wearing him down. That was extremely painful for me" (
LONDON TIMES, 6/3). In Las Vegas, Ed Graney wrote the explanation for Blatter's "sudden change of heart" is "simple." Graney: "Follow the money" (
REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 6/2). ESPN's Ley said of the scandal, "It has the potential to reshape certainly the cast of the leadership at FIFA. It has the potential to breathe life into the hopes of the United States to host the 2026 World Cup" (
"SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/2). In N.Y., Juliet Macur writes companies sponsoring FIFA for years "have been so good at turning a blind eye." Macur: "Did they finally rip off their blinders and ask for your head? Did those sponsors hold a power that was finally -- belatedly -- even greater than your own?" (
N.Y. TIMES, 6/3).
LASTING LEGACY: ESPN's Gabriele Marcotti said Blatter likely "wants to go away as a person who changed football for the good." Marcotti: "If we get real reforms and real transparency, I guarantee you … he'll take credit for it five years down the line” (ESPN, 6/2). But TSN's Kristian Jack wrote Blatter's legacy "is set despite his immediate future being far from secure." Jack: "He will be remembered by some as a leader of an organization that drowned itself in corruption" (TSN.ca, 6/2). SPORTS ON EARTH's Erik Malinowski wrote history "will not be kind to Blatter, nor should it be." It has been "clear for years that Blatter's tenure has contributed long-term and perhaps irreparable harm to the beautiful game" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 6/2). The FINANCIAL TIMES' Gideon Rachman writes under the header, "Blatter's Laudable Goals Were Twisted By Corruption" (FT.com, 6/3). The GUARDIAN's Marina Hyde writes under the header, "Fall Of The Sepp Blatter Dynasty: How Qatar Became A Frontier Too Far" (THEGUARDIAN.com, 6/3).
