German Chancellor Angela Merkel Says Sepp Blatter Exit Will Help FIFA Transparency
Sepp Blatter resigned on Tuesday in a stunning capitulation to exultant critics as a US investigation reportedly draws closer to ensnaring the most powerful man in world sport, following a series of arrests of top FIFA officials.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday hailed the shock resignation of world football boss Sepp Blatter as a step to help restore transparency in its corruption-tainted governing body FIFA. (Sepp Blatter Resignation Fails to End FIFA Storm)
"I think that for ... billions of football fans it is an important message for all of us who like football -- and I, too, am a fan -- that the world football organisation can be run according to the standards we wish for," she said. (UEFA Meeting Postponed Following Blatter's Resignation)
The announcement by the 79-year-old Swiss official meant "that it will be more feasible to make the work of FIFA more transparent", said Merkel at a joint press conference with visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. (United States Law Enforcer Tight-Lipped on Sepp Blatter)
Blatter resigned Tuesday in a stunning capitulation to exultant critics as a US investigation reportedly draws closer to ensnaring the most powerful man in world sport, following a series of arrests of top FIFA officials. (Ex-FIFA Officials on Interpol Most Wanted List)
Blatter, who has ruled the world's richest and most powerful sporting federation for 17 years, won a fifth term in an election Friday, but said he would step down after renewed criticism of his reign and new corruption revelations about FIFA. (Pele Calls for 'Honest People' After Blatter Quits)