"I won't step down"- Sepp Blatter

Embattled President of world soccer governing body, FIFA, Sepp Blatter, has declared that he wont be stampeded out of office in spite of the latest probe he is facing from Swiss authorities. While Blatter had resolved to hang on tenaciously to power, European soccer federation boss, Michel Platini dismissed the financial allegation against him as a none issue. Platini wrote to all of UEFA’s 54 member associations in an effort to explain that the extraordinary £1.35m consultancy payment he received from FIFA President Sepp Blatter was a legitimate fee for four years’ work.

Blatter’s lawyer, Lorenz Erni, in a statement made available to the media yesterday insisted that his client had done nothing wrong and would as such not throw in the towel until early next year when FIFA elections would take place after an emergency extra ordinary congress. Erni’s statement read in part: “President Blatter spoke to FIFA staff today and informed the staff that he was cooperating with the authorities, reiterated that he had done nothing illegal or improper and stated that he would remain as president of FIFA,” Erni stressed that his client would not speak further on the matter since he is being investigated.

“Because of the continuing investigation, President Blatter will answer no further questions at this time,” the lawyer stated. Blatter had however defended the payments made to Platini, insisting they were not done illegally since Platini served as his advisor from 1998. “On the [Michel] Platini matter, President Blatter on Friday shared with the Swiss authorities the fact that Mr. Platini had a valuable employment relationship with FIFA serving as an advisor to the president beginning in 1998.

He explained to the prosecutors that the payments were valid compensation and nothing more and were properly accounted for within FIFA including the withholding of Social Security contributions.”

It would be noted that FIFA had in the last one year been engulfed in corruption crisis that had equally consumed its secretary general Jerome Valcke who only last week was forced to step down. Top officials of the world soccer governing body, including senior vice president, Jack Warner, are to face prosecution in the United States of America