FIFA claim Sepp Blatter will stand by his promise and step down

Martyn Ziegler 13:19 16/06/2015
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  • Blatter has been rumoured to re-stand.

    Sepp Blatter has indicated there has been no change of heart in his decision to step down as FIFA president.

    Blatter’s former election advisor Klaus Stoehlker has claimed it remains “open” for the 79-year-old to run again if a convincing candidate does not emerge.

    But a FIFA spokesperson said Stoehlker the advisor was no longer employed by Blatter and the FIFA president pointed to his statement of June 2 where he announced he would step down between December and February. The FIFA spokesperson said: “Klaus Stoehlker’s mandate from the FIFA president ended on 31 May 2015.”

    Stoehlker had told Sky News earlier yesterday: “As long as there is not such a candidate it remains open for Sepp Blatter to run again.”

    Meanwhile, Switzerland’s attorney general will make a statement tomorrow about his investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

    Michael Lauber is expected to detail the scope of the investiga-tion as well as the time-scale and resources that will be used.

    Officials from the attorney general’s office have already taken possession of computer data from FIFA as part of the investigation into the tournament bidding and are also looking into the money paid for a friendly between Argentina and Brazil in Qatar three weeks before the vote in 2010.

    Elsewhere, UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) after a swastika was scrawled on the pitch in Split during Croatia’s 1-1 draw with Italy on Friday. UEFA said they would take action for “racist behaviour” with a decision expected on July 16.

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