Sepp Blatter sent shockwaves through the world of soccer once again when he told an audience in Zunich, Switzerland, that he never said he was resigning as the president of FIFA.
According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, the 79-year-old cast doubt over what everyone thought was his official resignation earlier this month.
"I did not resign,” Blatter said. “I put myself and my office in the hands of an extraordinary congress.”
To be clear, Blatter never did actually use the word ‘resign’ during his announcement on June 2.
“I have been reflecting deeply about my presidency and about the forty years in which my life has been inextricably bound to FIFA and the great sport of football,” he said. “I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football. I felt compelled to stand for re-election, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organization. That election is over but FIFA’s challenges are not. FIFA needs a profound overhaul.”
The Guardian noted that despite his comments and what some speculate as his way of backtracking on stepping down, he will not be up again for president.
As previously reported, a scandal rocked the sport last month when the U.S. Department of Justice charged nine FIFA officials and five corporate executives with corruption charges.
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