FIFA president says he will step down

World Today

A protester wearing a mask depicting FIFA President Joseph Blatter stands in front of the building where the 65th FIFA congress takes place in Zurich, Switzerland, Friday, May 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Probst

FIFA President Sepp Blatter says he will resign from soccer’s governing body amid a widening corruption scandal and has promised to call for fresh elections to choose a successor.

The 79-year-old Blatter was just re-elected to a fifth term on Friday, two days after a corruption crisis erupted and seven soccer officials were arrested in Zurich ahead of the FIFA congress.

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Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference on Tuesday, Blatter said “this mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football.”

Blatter said that despite his re-election victory, “FIFA needs a profound restructuring.”

Elections are expected to take place sometime between December and March. Blatter had worked for FIFA since 1975, serving as president since 1998.

The Associated Press