Franz Beckenbauer Refuses to Blame Sepp Blatter for FIFA Woes
Sepp Blatter has found support in German football legend Franz Beckenbauer who said that blaming the FIFA president alone for the irregularities isn't fair.
German football legend Franz Beckenbauer said Friday the scandal engulfing world football's governing body was less about FIFA president Sepp Blatter and more about a system that was difficult to change.
"It's not the man himself (who is to blame)," said Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player and a coach. (Blatter Remains Defiant Before FIFA Election)
"Theo Zwanziger (ex-president of the German football federation) once said something clever: 'It's not the person but the system'. It's very difficult to change the system," insisted the honorary president of Bayern Munich.
"How can you control 209 countries? You're always going to have a few irregularities. We need a new system. I'm not sure which one," explained the 69-year-old who led the organising committee of the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Blatter on Friday defended his actions battling corruption ahead of a vote to decide on whether he remains as president of football's beleaguered world body.