FIFA president Sepp Blatter will not travel to Canada for the final of the Women’s World Cup, the world governing body has said.
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The 79-year-old Swiss would ordinarily present the trophy to the winning team’s captain in Vancouver, but his appearance had been in doubt with Blatter reportedly under investigation by the FBI as part of ongoing probes into alleged FIFA corruption.
FIFA confirmed yesterday that neither Blatter nor general secretary Jerome Valcke would attend the match.
“Due to their current commitments in Zurich, the FIFA president and the FIFA secretary general will remain at the FIFA headquarters,” a statement said.
Blatter’s decision not to travel to Canada for World Cup advances claims he is a lame duck president. Unthinkable under normal circumstances
— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) June 30, 2015
Blatter announced on June 2 he would step down from the FIFA presidency at an extraordinary congress to be held between December and March.
It followed the crisis that engulfed FIFA, with 18 people indicted in the United States on football-related corruption charges.
Blatter has presented the trophy to the tournament winners at every women’s World Cup since he became president in 1998.
He was elected to a fifth term as president in May, just days after seven FIFA officials were arrested in a dawn raid on their hotel, but subsequently announced he would “lay down my mandate” as he did not feel he had sufficient support.
The vote for a new FIFA president is expected to take place in December.
