FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced on Tuesday afternoon he will resign from soccer’s governing body amid an international corruption scandal and said elections to choose the next President will be held sometime between December and March.
Blatter was re-elected as President late last week, just days after a corruption crisis erupted and seven soccer officials were arrested in Zurich ahead of the FIFA congress.
Blatter will continue in his present role until elections take place in late 2015 or early 2016.
Last week, the rumors surrounding FIFA’s shady business practices were all but confirmed when the United States government, along with the Swiss blew the door open with the release of an investigation of bribery and wrong doings going back two decades.
In all, 14 FIFA officials were indicted despite embattled president Sepp Blatter gaining reelection in the midst of the crisis.
Here’s a breakdown from the New York Times via Uproxx:
The the indictments are for racketeering, conspiracy and corruption, and the breakdown of those facing charges:
- Jeffrey Webb and Jack Warner, current and former presidents of CONCACAF, the branch of FIFA that oversees North and Central America
- Nicolas Leoz, former president of CONMEBOL, the branch of FIFA that oversees South America
- Six current and former chief executives for national soccer federations (Costa Rica, Uruguay, Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua and Cayman Islands)
- Four marketing executives in North and South America (one of whom was also chairman of the board of the North American Soccer Federation)
- One alleged intermediary, or bagman
If you’re still confused as to how this all came about, HBO host John Oliver of Last Week Tonight dropped the hammer on FIFA and how their policies are terrible for countries who host the World Cup and the beautiful game.
Going even deeper into the investigation, ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap also had a stellar documentary on FIFA’s questionable business practices:
Both videos are examples of incredible investigative journalism that shines a light on the policies by one of the biggest companies in the world.
Something tells me with the reelection of Blatter, these instances of corruption won’t stop at the drop of a hat.
Since the release of John Oliver’s first video, he happened to make a follow up on Sunday night’s program.
Check it out below: