Sepp Blatter must go: Calls grow for beleaguered Fifa president to end his reign
Visa threatens to walk away as top sponsors press the global body to clean itself up
Fifa president Sepp Blatter faced angry demands to resign after US indictments and arrests of top lieutenants engulfed the football supremo in crisis heading into an annual congress.
As 79-year-old Blatter prepared to open the congress on Thursday in Switzerland, top sponsors who pour millions into world football – including Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald’s and Visa – pressed the global body to clean itself up.
Visa Inc has told Fifa it could end its sponsorship if it does not act fast to restore the reputation of the game. "Our disappointment and concern with Fifa in light of today’s developments is profound. As a sponsor, we expect Fifa to take swift and immediate steps to address these issues within its organisation," the world’s largest credit and debit card company said.
There is no way of rebuilding trust in Fifa while Sepp Blatter is still there... He either has to go through a resignation, or he has to be out-voted or we have to find a third way
Blatter, meanwhile, cancelled a third speaking engagement as he avoided appearing in public for a second day.
Fifa was adamant that despite the arrests early on Wednesday of the seven officials in a luxury Zurich hotel, its congress and leadership vote would go ahead as planned this week.
But leading figures in the global game, as well as newspapers around the world, said such a stand was untenable after US prosecutors said their investigation had unearthed the “World Cup of fraud”.
US authorities said nine football officials were among 14 people facing up to 20 years in jail if found guilty in the long-running corruption case involving more than US$150 million in bribes.
The US investigation said South African officials paid US$10 million in bribes to host the 2010 tournament, while Swiss investigators raided Fifa’s Zurich headquarters as part of an investigation into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.