By RYAN TOLMICH
Sepp Blatter stunned the soccer world Tuesday by announcing his resignation from FIFA’s presidency, but it appears that controversy surrounding the 79-year-old is only just beginning.
ABC News is reporting that Blatter is currently the subject of an investigation by the FBI and U.S. prosecutors as part of the inquests into FIFA that produced last week’s indictments. Blatter has yet to be formally indicted, but ABC News reports that sources state that federal agents are handling the investigation of Blatter like a mob racketeering case.
“Now that people are going to want to save themselves, there’s probably a race to see who will flip on [Blatter] first,” one source told ABC.
“We may not be able to collapse the whole organization,” added another source, “but maybe you don’t need to.”
Last week’s probe saw 14 people of corruption and racketeering conspiracy in a 47-count indictment, including nine FIFA officials and five corporate executive. Among those indicted were two FIFA vice presidents and former presidents of CONCACAF Jeffery Webb and Jack Warner.
Blatter was elected to a fifth term on Friday before stepping down Tuesday afternoon via a news conference. A replacement is expected to be revealed in an election sometime between December and March.
What do you expect to come of these investigations? How does this whole situation end for FIFA?
Share your thoughts below.
Tragic it led to this. Hopefully lesson is learned and the present representatives understand that if they have been playing with fire, hell is coming. USA FTW. Merica world police. IDFWU
I can already see the movie companies competing for the rights to this film
There’s already a film!
United Passions with Tim Roth as Sepp Blatter and Sam Neill as Joao Havelange.
We need a sequel
Rotten to the Core. FIFA paying Jack warner’s bribe from South Africa and taking it off the back end in a reduced cut for South Africa is symptom of a gangster organization. There will be a big fight coming up over the one country vote charter when Europe generates much of the money to fund the largesse for the smaller countries. This fight will not be short lived.
God I hope they’re turning Sepp’s Soap Opera into a reality tv series.
The soccer world owes the US a debt of gratitude. Give us WC2018 (or ’22) and we’ll call it even.
unfortunately one of the bigger criminals of this whole matter was American, Blazer
Don’t think for a minute that because Blazer was busted American’s are the biggest criminals in FIFA. Most countries in the world accept corruption on a daily basis as a fact of life. I can guarantee you that out of the 209 countries in FIFA, there are some fat cats livin’ la vida loco on siphoned scratch – even if it is hard to imagine anyone being more baller than Blazer.
In this case, andy is right. That fat F blazer was as bad (or worse) than most of them. Definitely as bad as warner. Blazer did something unforgivable – he sold out his country for gold. F him, hope he strokes out soon
The country that doesn’t care or like about soccer futbol just did MLS and the American soccer federation a big big big huge favor.
This might just make soccer a little more powerful and interesting for the casual fan.
Not only that, but this is what MLS and the American federation needed,a little push from shove from an outside source.
Now we gotta see what garber and gunati do.
I’m going to miss that Seth Bladder guy.
Amen! The question is can you change the structure of FIFA or do they just send in another set of clowns.
Can you reverse the decision on Qatar? They have a contract but if the contract is obtained through criminal means…? Qatar then sues, sponsors start falling off the wagon if the don’t pull it from them…etc. I will be interesting!!!!!
I don’t know how you undo the award of the games to Qatar. I am still amazed at the Fox television rights issue. That one should be undone.
If the bribery trail exists (as it did for South Africa) there is a chance that the Qatari WC might be taken down. Think of all the political wrangling that still needs to be done to move it to the winter. With Sepp gone, the political power base to make major moves like that might be done. There is probably a smaller chance that Russia’s is taken away.
They need a powerful business man with a lot of experience and education, like someone like gulati.
There’s no one better than gulati, that’s what I think and then hire a soccer person to do soccer decisions.
I’ll quote Heat all day on this if I have to.
“Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.” Good luck with the feds, Sepp.
Like to see him do jail time, sharing a pod with Schillinger & Adebesi
That would be epic. He would be Schillinger’s Prag on day 1.
I admit that when the first indictments were handed down, I did not think the claims would get to Blatter and his immediate circle. I was concerned that the allegations only involved Jack Warner, his successors at CONCACAF and some of the real bad apples at CONMEBOL.
This is stunning and completely unexpected by me.
I would’ve been fine with “just” Jack Warner being taken down, so this is just icing on the cake.
I wasn’t satisfied with the “just” Jack because that was spilled milk and old news. I was really surprised to see Jeffrey Webb get arrested.
FIFA’s Blatter infection is about to be cured!
surprisingly simple yet funny!
I was hoping immediate surgery would clear it up, but it looks like it’s going to fester for at least another few more months…
January at the earliest?!? Really?!?!?
‘Merica! Bringing justice to all, one day at a time. Have never been prouder to be American.
John Oliver’s rant last week (or this week) was great. Something along the lines of it took the biggest country who doesn’t care about soccer to bring down the most corrupt entity in the sport..
Oliver’s rant is great stuff. here’s a link to it
http://www.ibtimes.com/pulse/john-oliver-fifa-rant-last-week-tonight-host-asks-sponsors-unseat-sepp-blatter-1946527
Thanks for the Oliver mention and link. That was amazing.
Sepps resignation was at least an admission of guilt for being a piss poor leader. And now it seems what everyone already suspected is true. He’s guilty of profiting like the others who’ve already been taken down.
Can’t wait for a rat inside FIFA to take
This clown down.
I still can’t believe his acceptance speech after the election when he said that he couldn’t be expected to watch over the ExCo. If he doesn’t as the president, who should. His acquiescence in the bribery culture, even if he didn’t accept any on his own, made the organization poor. I hate to celebrate, but this could be fantastic.
This just keeps getting better…hopefully, we’ll get to see him in an orange jumpsuit and shackles. It’s definitely a bit of schadenfreude, but if anyone deserves it…
If we do see that. I’m making a T-shirt!!!!!
Can’t wait for the “Free Blatter” t-shirts at the next two WCs…
Great news!
Outstanding.