MX23RW : Saturday, June 1 19:44:57| >> :600:284287822:284287822:

Sepp Blatter: 'Arrests could have happened at any time'

FIFA president Sepp Blatter insists that the arrests of a number of the organisation's officials did not need to take place so close to the election.

Sepp Blatter has insisted that the arrests of a number of FIFA officials did not need to take place so close to the organisation's presidential election.

Police arrived at the FIFA hotel in Zurich in the early hours of Wednesday morning, making a string of arrests on corruption charges just two days before the election.

The 79-year-old, who was re-elected after Prince Ali's withdrawal, said at a press conference: "A couple of words on the storm now. All of these events that have taken place culminating in the police storming the Zurich hotel, and curiously enough there were already American journalists present at the time, this storm has not passed but it has not become a hurricane at this time.

"We will work with our institutions and our bodies, and that way we will avoid future situations where there are surprises that catch us on the back foot. Furthermore, these crimes that have been committed, we need to establish whether they are administrative or criminal in nature.

"I do not see how FIFA are directly affected by the situations in the Americas. And the people involved could have been indicted at any time other than two days before the FIFA Congress."

Football Association board member David Gill has announced that he will not take up his post on FIFA's Executive Committee following Blatter's re-election.

ID:225551: cacheID:225551:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2375:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Sepp Blatter delivers a speech ahead of the FIFA presidency vote on May 29, 2015
Read Next:
Niersbach: ' Sepp Blatter won't change'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CManchester CityMan City38287396346291
2Arsenal38285591296289
3Liverpool382410486414582
4Aston Villa382081076611568
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs382061274611366
6Chelsea381891177631463
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle381861485622360
8Manchester UnitedMan Utd38186145758-160
9West Ham UnitedWest Ham381410146074-1452
10Crystal Palace381310155758-149
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton381212145562-748
12Bournemouth38139165467-1348
13Fulham38138175561-647
14Wolverhampton WanderersWolves38137185065-1546
15Everton38139164051-1140
16Brentford38109195665-939
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3899204967-1832
RLuton TownLuton3868245285-3326
RBurnley3859244178-3724
RSheffield UnitedSheff Utd38372835104-6916


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!