MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Outgoing FIFA President Joseph Blatter refuted media reports that he could possibly remain as the head of the international football governing body, The Telegraph reported Monday.
On Sunday, media reports emerged, claiming that Blatter could remain as FIFA head, citing a close adviser. According to Klaus Stoehlker, an adviser during his recent election campaign in FIFA, Blatter has a chance to stay in the football association since no other "convincing candidate" has appeared so far.
"Klaus Stoehlker’s mandate from the FIFA president ended on 31 May 2015," it read. "The FIFA president would like to point to his remarks from 2 June."
On June 2, Blatter, who has been heading FIFA since 1998, announced he would step down, just four days after he was reelected for a fifth term in office.
Blatter’s successor is due to announced in mid-December at an emergency meeting of FIFA’s Executive Committee.
His resignation followed a large-scale corruption scandal in the FIFA.
On May 27, the US Department of Justice charged 14 people — including nine senior FIFA officials – with money laundering, wire fraud and racketeering in late May. Seven of the officials were detained in Switzerland on the same day.
Bern launched a separate investigation into the selection process of World Cup host countries, particularly Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.
