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FIFA: President Sepp Blatter 'Fights On' For Re-Election After Swiss Arrests

FIFA President Sepp Blatter still "hopes to secure a fifth term in office this week despite the arrests in Switzerland" on Wednesday of seven senior FIFA officials, according to Naughton & Bonnici of the LONDON TIMES. FIFA also "ruled out moving" either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups after Swiss police "announced a criminal investigation into alleged corruption in the bidding process for both." Blatter's spokesperson "insisted" that the election "would go ahead on Friday as planned and told disbelieving journalists that the Swiss police probe into the awarding of the next two World Cups was instigated by FIFA itself as 'the injured party' and was, in fact, a good thing" for the organization. Blatter: "You don't believe me but I say it again: this for FIFA is good. It's not good for the image, not good for reputation, but in terms of cleaning up [the sport], this is good. The World Cups 2018 and 2022 will be played in Russia and Qatar" (LONDON TIMES, 5/27). In London, Simon Kuper wrote Blatter, FIFA's "eternal president, has never faced as big a threat before." Yet his regime "may well survive." It is "overly optimistic to expect a new, cleansed" FIFA to "emerge from the ruins, or to think that the World Cups of 2018 and 2022 will be taken away from Russia and Qatar if it can be shown they paid bribes." The "Machiavellian" Blatter is "capable of navigating this scandal." The optimists "draw parallels" between this U.S.-led "assault" on FIFA and the U.S.-led assault on the IOC that prompted a clean-up. But the U.S. has less power over FIFA than it did over the IOC. U.S. TV companies and sponsors "provided the bulk of the IOC's income." By contrast, FIFA has income sources worldwide. In the future, FIFA "will be wary" of the U.S. Its officials "may not be so sloppy again as to channel bribes" through U.S. banks -- the opening that let U.S. attorney-general Loretta Lynch act. Blatter, who has not visited the U.S. for four years, may "continue to stay away." However, he is "welcome almost everywhere else" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 5/27).

THE MASTERMIND: REUTERS' Brian Homewood wrote Blatter is a "master of getting out from tight corners" and his federation's initial reaction to Wednesday's events "suggested he has every intention of pulling off another great escape." Blatter "comes across as an amiable character with eccentric ideas" about football but he has shown in the past that he "possesses a ruthless instinct for survival and extraordinary political nous." Blatter, who has repeatedly said that he "does not choose" his exec committee, was said to be "carrying on as usual on Wednesday and getting ready for Friday's election." FIFA Dir of Communications & Public Affairs Walter de Gregorio said, "He is focused on the Congress and, for everybody involved, the stress factor is a little higher today than yesterday, but he is quite relaxed that he is not involved. He will accept what will happen" (REUTERS, 5/27). In Sydney, Lynch & Miller reported De Gregorio said that Blatter would "cooperate with the investigation." De Gregorio: "He [Blatter] is not dancing in his office. He is very calm, he sees what happens, he is fully cooperative with everybody and that's what I meant." De Gregorio said that he "believed the raid took place two days before the FIFA world congress because 'everybody is here'" -- but also because it would have "good international coverage." Asked to clarify if he was "claiming the raids were staged as a media spectacle," De Gregorio said that he was "'not saying they did it on purpose because you guys [the media] were here' but because it was more efficient to have all the FIFA officials in one place." However, he claimed that "getting the 'right coverage' was a secondary goal." He "denied reports" that Blatter's travel plans had "changed as a result of the raid" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 5/27).

STEPPING ON ... DOWN?: In London, Ben Rumsby reported Blatter himself "faced renewed calls to resign" on Wednesday but De Gregorio "rejected them out of hand." Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini "were not wanted for immediate questioning as both are Swiss residents and can be questioned at any time" (TELEGRAGH, 5/27). In L.A., Austin Knoblauch reported Platini spokesperson Pedro Pinto said that the UEFA president is "considering asking" that the FIFA presidential election be delayed and has "scheduled an emergency meeting with UEFA leaders in Warsaw to discuss such a request" (L.A. TIMES, 5/27).  

NUMBERS DON'T LIE: In a separate piece, Homewood reported four out of five football fans believe that Blatter "should not be standing for a fifth term as FIFA president," according to a survey conducted by anti-corruption organization Transparency Int'l. Transparency said that 35,000 supporters in 30 countries were "polled in the survey" conducted with Football Addicts, a Swedish developer behind the Forza Football app (REUTERS, 5/27).

ON THE AIR: Fox Sports’ Alexi Lalas said despite the arrests, FIFA will not change “until Sepp Blatter is no longer a part of it.” Lalas: “Sepp Blatter is very, very good at deflecting. He’s very, very good, when these types of things happen, not having his hands dirty in any of this but the reality is that there is a huge, huge outcry for more transparency, for more legitimacy that’s coming from all over the world. … Until enough voices are heard and until enough changes have happened, it’s going to be business as usual” (“Fox Sports Live,” FS1, 5/27). ... CNBC’s Geoff Cutmore noted while Blatter is not among those who have been arrested, “no one is saying that he is off the hook or cleared” and the “scale of this is growing all the time.” Cutmore said it was “astonishing” that Blatter did not appear at FIFA’s press conference this morning and “at this stage we do not have a clear comment from the president of the organization about what happens here next" (“Worldwide Exchange,” CNBC, 5/27). ... CNN’s Alex Thomas said “yet again, Sepp Blatter appears to have not been hit by any of the mud being slung around in yet another controversial scandal” during his reign as FIFA president (CNN, 5/27).

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