FIFA President Sepp Blatter "endorsed a German proposal for stronger integrity checks" to vet top football officials as the sport's global governing body "grapples with the fallout of a massive corruption scandal," according to Gowar & Ransom of REUTERS. Blatter also took a swipe at UEFA, which he said "had blocked the proposal" by German Football Federation (DFB) President Wolfgang Niersbach. In his column in FIFA Weekly Magazine, Blatter wrote, "Wolfgang Niersbach from Germany, has put forward a motion I support. (He) has proposed an independent integrity check for all members of the most important FIFA Committees." In his column, Blatter "did not address reports he might change his mind about stepping down and stand for re-election." He said that Niersbach's proposal "would be discussed at the July 20 meeting but sidestepped the German's call to end the one-country, one-vote system used to elect the president." Blatter also repeated his call for more women on the ExCo, saying that FIFA was not a "men-only" club (REUTERS, 6/19).
