Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy hopes Sepp Blatter’s resignation as FIFA president will bring “major reform” within the organisation.
– LA LIGA: Rafa Benitez out ‘to win everything possible’ with Real Madrid
– VIDEO: Five things to know about the Champions League final 2015
– FOLLOW: Our live score centre for match updates
Blatter’s announcement on Tuesday came just four days after he was re-elected for a fifth term and follows corruption charges against FIFA officials that caused the biggest crisis in the world governing body’s history.
Blatter has called an extraordinary congress “as soon as possible”, saying “a new president will be elected to follow me”.
In an open letter to the football family, Australian billionaire Lowy wrote: “Sepp Blatter’s resignation should open the door to major reform. I say ‘should’ because FIFA’s problems are deep-rooted and tangled in a culture that has developed over decades. It will take a united, concerted effort by its football associations to fix the mess.
Someone might want to ask Frank Lowy why he thinks good governance involves silently pushing his own son & fellow board member’s business..
— Scott McIntyre (@mcintinhos) June 3, 2015
“Australia has tried its best to work within football forums to promote reform. In 2013 we began work on ideas which would allow FIFA to operate with greater transparency and accountability. Many others in world football have been working on similar projects.
“Now, at last, it appears there might be new leadership at FIFA willing to listen to these ideas.
“I feel that the past week has been a watershed. The series of events leading up to last week’s dramatic developments and the overall scandal surrounding FIFA left Australia with no option but to vote for change.
“On a personal level, since 2 December 2010 when Australia received just one vote in its World Cup bid, I have nursed a bitter grievance.
“We ran a clean bid. I know that others did not, and I have shared what I know with the authorities, including Michael Garcia who undertook a two-year investigation into the 2022 World Cup bid.”
