Pointing the finger: Blatter blames ‘English media’ for trying to unseat him

Sepp Blatter says he is “shocked” at the way the US judiciary has targeted FIFA and slammed a “hate” campaign by Europe’s football leaders. His comments came as a top American investigator said he was “fairly confident” there would be more indictments in the corruption scandal engulfing world football’s governing body. In an interview with Swiss television, Blatter said the bid to unseat him was down to the “English media and the American movement” because of their failed World Cup bids.

No-one is going to tell me that it was a simple coincidence this American attack two days before the elections of FIFA.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter

Meanwhile, England’s new FIFA representative, David Gill, confirmed he will not take up his post on the elite executive board because he refuses to serve under Mr Blatter. "This action is not something I take lightly but the terribly damaging events of the last three days have convinced me it is not appropriate to be a member of the FIFA executive committee under the current leadership,“ Mr Gill said. Mr Blatter criticised Mr Gill, who is the Football Association’s vice-chairman, for not attending Saturday morning’s executive committee meeting. "If you are elected you have to come, whoever is president of FIFA,” he said.

It is a hate that comes not just from a person at UEFA, it comes from the UEFA organisation that cannot understand that in 1998 I became president.

Sepp Blatter

Sport FIFA