ZURICH, May 29 (Reuters) - Sepp Blatter comes across in public as an amiable, even bumbling, character with eccentric ideas about soccer but as he showed again on Sunday FIFA’s president has a remarkable gift for self-preservation.
The 75-year-old pulled off a familiar escape act when a FIFA ethics committee cleared him of any wrongdoing in his campaign to be re-elected for a fourth term.
Meanwhile, his rival Mohamed bin Hammam was provisionally suspended from all soccer activities, having withdrawn his candidacy hours earlier, for allegedly offering money to Caribbean federations to vote for him.
CONCACAF president Jack Warner, a long-serving ally of Blatter’s, was also banned pending further investigations.
This left the way clear for Blatter to be re-elected unopposed at Wednesday’s annual Congress despite his federation becoming mired in a credibility crisis.
When he was ordered to appear at an ethics committee hearing investigating possible corruption in next week’s presidential election, it seemed Blatter was in hot water.
Instead, he is in an even stronger position than before for what will be his final term in charge.
Blatter, who has promised not to stand again in 2015, said last week that his final four years could be his most effective as he will not have to worry about re-election.
“Someone said to me recently that if I was elected again, I could lie back and nothing would happen,” he said.
“No. On the contrary, I want to finish my duties. I want to be a strong president. I still have the energy.”
SKIMPY SHORTS
Blatter’s ideas about football have often caused a mixture of mild amusement and head-scratching.
He once said that interest could be drummed up in the women’s game if the players wore skimpier shorts.
He also suggested holding the World Cup every two years and said he was in favour of the European season running from February to November.
Blatter, a former amateur player and ice hockey official, joined FIFA in 1975 as a development officer and said he fell in love with Africa following a visit to Ethiopia the following year. Last year, he finally fulfilled his long-held dream of taking the World Cup to that continent when it was successfully staged in South Africa.
The Swiss became general secretary in 1981 and, after 17 years serving under Joao Havelange, replaced the Brazilian as president in 1998.
In 2001, FIFA faced potential financial problems following the collapse of marketing partner ISL/ISMM and Blatter was subjected to intense pressure to reveal details of FIFA finances.
He sidestepped that obstacle and said earlier this month that the federation had more than 1 billion dollars in reserves, describing it as “comfortable” rather than rich.
HOUSEWIFE JIBE
He was so pleased with FIFA’s financial display that he this year found time to poke fun at the International Olympic Committee, saying in January that it managed its economic affairs “like a housewife”.
Blatter faced further troubles in 2002 when FIFA’s then secretary general Michel Zen-Ruffinen claimed Blatter’s 1998 election victory was based on bribery and corruption.
Blatter threatened legal action but never followed up the threat and when he beat Issa Hayatou of Cameroon by 139 votes to 56 in that year’s election, Zen-Ruffinen was soon out of a job.
Five years later, he was elected unopposed for a third term.
The last six months have been the most turbulent of his reign, with four members of his executive committee being suspended over corruption allegations.
In a possible change of direction, Blatter has now tried to distance himself from his executive committee members, who are elected by their respective confederations rather than within FIFA itself.
“I have no influence and I cannot take any responsibility,” he said. “They have their own character and own conscience. I cannot respond for the others.”
His verdict on his 13 years in charge so far was that any mistakes were the result of him working too hard.
“If I am looking at the results of what I have done I have to say…that it is more positive than negative.
“Those who work hard make more mistakes than those who work less.”
The 75-year-old pulled off a familiar escape act when a FIFA ethics committee cleared him of any wrongdoing in his campaign to be re-elected for a fourth term.
Meanwhile, his rival Mohamed bin Hammam was provisionally suspended from all soccer activities, having withdrawn his candidacy hours earlier, for allegedly offering money to Caribbean federations to vote for him.
CONCACAF president Jack Warner, a long-serving ally of Blatter’s, was also banned pending further investigations.
This left the way clear for Blatter to be re-elected unopposed at Wednesday’s annual Congress despite his federation becoming mired in a credibility crisis.
When he was ordered to appear at an ethics committee hearing investigating possible corruption in next week’s presidential election, it seemed Blatter was in hot water.
Instead, he is in an even stronger position than before for what will be his final term in charge.
Blatter, who has promised not to stand again in 2015, said last week that his final four years could be his most effective as he will not have to worry about re-election.
“Someone said to me recently that if I was elected again, I could lie back and nothing would happen,” he said.
“No. On the contrary, I want to finish my duties. I want to be a strong president. I still have the energy.”
SKIMPY SHORTS
Blatter’s ideas about football have often caused a mixture of mild amusement and head-scratching.
He once said that interest could be drummed up in the women’s game if the players wore skimpier shorts.
He also suggested holding the World Cup every two years and said he was in favour of the European season running from February to November.
Blatter, a former amateur player and ice hockey official, joined FIFA in 1975 as a development officer and said he fell in love with Africa following a visit to Ethiopia the following year. Last year, he finally fulfilled his long-held dream of taking the World Cup to that continent when it was successfully staged in South Africa.
The Swiss became general secretary in 1981 and, after 17 years serving under Joao Havelange, replaced the Brazilian as president in 1998.
In 2001, FIFA faced potential financial problems following the collapse of marketing partner ISL/ISMM and Blatter was subjected to intense pressure to reveal details of FIFA finances.
He sidestepped that obstacle and said earlier this month that the federation had more than 1 billion dollars in reserves, describing it as “comfortable” rather than rich.
HOUSEWIFE JIBE
He was so pleased with FIFA’s financial display that he this year found time to poke fun at the International Olympic Committee, saying in January that it managed its economic affairs “like a housewife”.
Blatter faced further troubles in 2002 when FIFA’s then secretary general Michel Zen-Ruffinen claimed Blatter’s 1998 election victory was based on bribery and corruption.
Blatter threatened legal action but never followed up the threat and when he beat Issa Hayatou of Cameroon by 139 votes to 56 in that year’s election, Zen-Ruffinen was soon out of a job.
Five years later, he was elected unopposed for a third term.
The last six months have been the most turbulent of his reign, with four members of his executive committee being suspended over corruption allegations.
In a possible change of direction, Blatter has now tried to distance himself from his executive committee members, who are elected by their respective confederations rather than within FIFA itself.
“I have no influence and I cannot take any responsibility,” he said. “They have their own character and own conscience. I cannot respond for the others.”
His verdict on his 13 years in charge so far was that any mistakes were the result of him working too hard.
“If I am looking at the results of what I have done I have to say…that it is more positive than negative.
“Those who work hard make more mistakes than those who work less.”
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