Fifa: under-fire Sepp Blatter makes opening ceremony speech – as it happened

Caf has released a statement opposing any postponement of tomorrow’s Fifa presidential election:

The Confederation of African Football opposes any postponement of the 65^th FIFA Congress and the election for the presidency scheduled May 29, 2015 in Zurich. During the meeting of the federation held May 27, 2015 in Zurich, the FCA reiterated its support for the candidacy of Sepp Blatter in the election.

It should be noted that CAF is following with particular attention the events that occur at this time in the football family. It reaffirms its commitment to work and to cooperate in safeguarding the ethical and moral values that underlie the practice of the sport, its organization and administration. Hence its full and ongoing support to the package of measures driven to FIFA in recent years in improving governance.

CAF reaffirms its readiness to cooperate in this direction with all the institutions that engage and subscribes it to zero tolerance regarding offenders regardless of their profile or origin.

Reuters report that the Russian sports minister, Vitaly Mutko, said today there was “no risk” of Russia losing the right to host the 2018 World Cup after Swiss investigators opened a criminal investigation into the bidding process.

This follows Vladamir Putin’s strong words earlier on state TV which accused the US of “meddling” in affairs outside of their jurisdiction:

“This is yet another blatant attempt [by the United States] to extend its jurisdiction to other states,” the Russian president said on Thursday.

Putin added that the arrests were a “clear attempt” to prevent the re-election of Fifa head Sepp Blatter and that the Swiss had Russia’s backing.

“It looks very strange, the arrests are carried out on the request of the USA side,” he said.

“They are accused of corruption – who is? International officials. I suppose that someone broke some rules, I don’t know. But definitely, it’s got nothing to do with the USA. Those officials are not US citizens. If something happened it was not in the US and it’s nothing to do with them.

“It’s another clear attempt by the USA to spread its jurisdiction to other states. And I have no doubt – it’s a clear attempt not to allow Mr Blatter to be re-elected as president of Fifa, which is a great violation of the operating principles of international organisations. The US prosecutor, as our media report, has already said that those Fifa officials have committed a crime. As if the prosecutor didn’t know about the principle of the presumption of innocence.”

• Sepp Blatter has held an emergency meeting with the six confederations including Uefa president Michel Platini
• David Cameron has joined calls for Blatter to resign as Fifa president
• Culture, media and sport secretary John Whittingdale said in the Commons that Blatter should quit the ‘deeply flawed and corrupt organisation’
  
• Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of ‘meddling’ over Fifa arrests
• Australian police have been asked to investigate a $500,000 payment by Football Federation Australia to Fifa’s Jack Warner
  

Blatter held an emergency meeting with representatives from the six confederations including Uefa president Michel Platini this morning, it has been confirmed. A Fifa official told PA: “A meeting was held with representatives from the confederations but there is no further information.”

Prime Minister David Cameron has joined the calls for Sepp Blatter to resign, says his official spokesman:

“I’ve associated the Prime Minister in full with what John Whittingdale was saying. The FA – and we are squarely behind the FA – supports the candidacy of Prince Ali [bin al-Hussein].

“I understand that many England fans were disappointed that England’s bid hadn’t been successful. You know that the Prime Minister was one of them.

“He was out there, along with others of course, trying to get a successful England bid at that time. But I terms of the focus now, it is the investigations and reform of Fifa.”

Owen Gibson on the latest from Zurich, where Uefa are meeting now to discuss the crisis:

Michel Platini has just arrived at the Uefa meeting at which the European confederation will decide whether to push for a postponement of Friday’s election. He came straight from an emergency meeting convened by Sepp Blatter. Uefa sources are split over whether to push for a postponement of Friday’s vote, while some including Russia and Spain will continue to back Blatter. Following the meeting Platini will hold a press conference.

David Smith has the view from the ground in Zambia, where Sepp Blatter has skilfully commandeered backing from football associations across the African game, using projects like Goal to garner support:

Fraying at the edges, Fifa’s flags twist in the wind outside Football House in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, with the national flag between them. A nearby inscription is badly faded in the sun. It reads: “The Football Association of Zambia, Football House, built as part of Fifa’s Goal development programme was inaugurated in Lusaka on 6 April 2002 by Joseph S Blatter, Fifa president.”

Presenting Zambian football with its first home is just one example of how Blatter has won the hearts and minds of Africa’s football establishment. Its loyalty has enabled him to ride out every storm and is more critical than ever as seeks re-election at the helm of an organisation embroiled in the biggest scandal in its history.

On Wednesday, Swiss authorities arrested seven high-ranking Fifa officials in a dawn raid at the behest of the United States and opened criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Loretta Lynch, the US attorney general, said the officials whose extradition she is seeking had allegedly lined their pockets with $150m, in what another US official dubbed “a World Cup of fraud”. The crisis has put Blatter under intense scrutiny as he runs for a fifth term as president of world football’s governing body.

Yet in all likelihood, the 79-year-old will prevail again on Friday. He has ensured that Fifa gives enough money and encouragement to guarantee the loyalty of the various confederations that vote for the new president every four years. The Confederation of African Football (Caf), for example, has traditionally voted for the Swiss because it believes he alone cares about the continent.

Read David Smith’s full piece: How Sepp Blatter won the hearts and minds of Africa to ride out Fifa storms .

There is plenty of focus on South Africa this morning and the winning bid to host the 2010 World Cup, with Danny Jordaan coming under scrutiny. The South African government have today denied any wrongdoing over allegations that huge bribes were paid during the bidding process, as AFP in Johannesburg report:

“When we concluded the FIFA World Cup here in South Africa we got a clean audit report,” Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe told reporters in Cape Town. “There has never been any suggestion that anything untoward happened in South Africa.”

Radebe, who was on the local organising committee (LOC), did not directly address the US indictment, which alleged that $10,000 was handed over in Paris as a bribe by a “high-ranking South African bid committee official”.

It also alleged the South Africa government agreed that $10 million that was due to be paid to South Africa to run the World Cup was instead transferred from FIFA’s funds to pay bribes. “Ernst and Young is a reputed auditing firm,” Radebe said.

“When we concluded the FIFA World Cup here in South Africa we got a clean audit report, so what came yesterday, I think the due process will take place. But, as far as we are concerned as former members of the LOC, there was a clean audit report.”

28 May 201506.15 EDT

Rowena Mason

Developments over the past 24 hours have provoked powerful words in the House of Commons this morning, as political correspondent Rowena Mason reports:

John Whittingdale, the new culture, media and sport secretary, suggested Blatter should quit Fifa as the “deeply flawed and corrupt organisation” needs a change of leadership. He also urged sponsors to follow the lead of Visa and “reflect on their links to Fifa”.

He said football’s reputation had been “dragged into the mud” and that while the arrests of Fifa officials in Zurich were “shocking in both their scope and scale”, they also “far from surprising”. Whittingdale then paid tribute to the Insight team at the Sunday Times whose revelations increased scrutiny of Fifa.

The government will now write to other European sports ministers, setting out the UK’s concerns and seeking their support. The UK will also make information available to US prosecutors, while British authorities would no doubt be looking at the allegations to see whether laws have been broken in this country, Whittingdale added.

Chris Bryant, the shadow culture, media and sport secretary, then called for bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be re-opened, or for the major football associations to the world to think about creating a new World Cup. He argued it was “inconceivable” that Blatter could stay in his post and highlighted the human rights abuses associated with World Cup stadium construction in Qatar.

“Can anyone be in any doubt that Fifa is rotten to the core and needs swift and wholesale reform?” he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been speaking on state TV in the past few minutes, and had this to say on the Fifa arrests:

It looks very strange, the arrests are carried out on the request of the USA side. They are accused of corruption – who is? International officials. I suppose that someone broke some rules, I don’t know. But definitely, it’s got nothing to do with the USA. Those officials are not US citizens. If something happened it was not in the US and it’s nothing to do with them.

It’s another clear attempt by the USA to spread its jurisdiction to other states. And I have no doubt – it’s a clear attempt not to allow Mr Blatter to be re-elected as president of Fifa, which is a great violation of the operating principles of international organisations. The US prosecutor, as our media report, has already said that those Fifa officials have committed a crime. As if the prosecutor didn’t know about the principle of the presumption of innocence.

We know the position of the USA regarding Mr Snowden. Who uncovered the practice of illegal actions of the US all over the world including tapping in on leaders of other countries. Everyone discussed that, including in Europe. But no one wants to give him refuge and guarantee his security (apart from Russia). No one wants to fight with their partner, their senior partner – He’s a US citizen. What about Assange? Who has to hide for several years in foreign embassy. What’s he sought for? Sexual crimes? No one believes that. Because he spread info regarding the actions of the US military, including in Iraq.

Why do I recall these cases? The US use these methods to achieve their self-interested aims. And they do it illegally. They harass people. I don’t rule out that the same is happening regarding Fifa. Although I don’t know how that will end but the fact it’s happening on the eve of the election of Fifa head points to that aim.

John Whittingdale also called for Michael Garcia’s report into the World Cup bids to be made public – in full.

The issue is currently being discussed in the House of Commons. John Whittingdale, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, is answering for the government and has said in the past few minutes:

“The English FA and home nations, I will be in touch with them. I am very pleased that all four have take then same approach in supporting Uefa in terms of [Fifa’s] leadership and postponement of the [Fifa presidential] election tomorrow.

“I hope that one of the consequences is that we will now have a proper investigation which will lead to reform [of Fifa].”

MP Chris Bryant spoke passionately on the crisis:

“Football belongs to mums and dads taking kids to their first match, not the fat cats creaming millions off the top for themselves. Is it not inconceivable that Sepp Blatter can continue now?”

Regarding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he adds:

“Matches will be played indoors in 40 degrees. Workers are dying, 62 per match. Human rights are systemcaticlly being abused. Now that (sponsors) have raised concerns, should the bidding rounds [for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups] not be reopened?”

What could worsen an already disastrous situation for Fifa is the response of the organisation’s key sponsors. PA report that South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai have said it is “extremely concerned” by the allegations.

“As a company that places the highest priority on ethical standards and transparency, Hyundai Motor is extremely concerned about the legal proceedings being taken against certain FIFA executives and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” it said in a statement.

A spokesman for McDonald’s, a second-tier sponsor, said: “McDonald’s takes matters of ethics and corruption very seriously and the news from the US Department of Justice is extremely concerning. We are in contact with FIFA on this matter. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely.”

This follows yesterday’s initial reaction from brands including Visa and Coca-Cola:

Fifa sponsors, including Adidas, Visa and Coca-Cola, are calling for the body to reform its practices. Visa issued a statement on Wednesday expressing its “disappointment and concern with Fifa”. It said that unless football’s world governing body rebuilds a corporate culture with “strong ethical practices” at its heart, “we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship”.

Coca-Cola said: “This lengthy controversy has tarnished the mission and ideals of the Fifa World Cup and we have repeatedly expressed our concerns about these serious allegations.”

South Korean firm Hyundai Motor Company, the sole Asian Fifa partner for the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia, said it was extremely concerned. Anheuser-Busch InBev, whose Budweiser brand is a sponsor of the 2018 World Cup, said: “We expect all of our partners to maintain strong ethical standards and operate with transparency.” McDonald’s, meanwhile, said it was monitoring the situation.

It’s worth noting that there is an urgent question in the House of Commons today regarding Fifa. John Whittingdale, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, will be answering for the government, and we can expect him to have strong words on the crisis facing football’s governing body.

In Russia, Reuters report that President Vladimir Putin has accused the US of meddling outside its jurisdiction:

“This is yet another blatant attempt (by the United States) to extend its jurisdiction to other states,” Putin said. He added the arrests were a “clear attempt” to prevent the re-election of Fifa head Sepp Blatter and that he had Russia’s backing.

South Africa’s successful bid to host the 2010 World Cup is also facing scrutiny. Danny Jordaan, president of the South African Football Association who led the bid, has been elected unopposed as mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth. The opposition parties boycotted.

Here is how the Mail & Guardian reported the story in South Africa today:

South Africa and its football officials stand accused of buying the vote that landed the country the 2010 Fifa World Cup. Now all eyes are on Danny Jordaan, who led the bid and hopes to be elected mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday.

United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch dropped her bombshell indictment on international football on Wednesday, alleging “corruption that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted”, spanning two-and-a-half decades and multiple jurisdictions.

The indictment was unsealed after Swiss police dramatically arrested seven Fifa officials who had gathered in Zurich for the world football governing body’s elective congress, due to start on Friday. The arrests were at the behest of the US authorities, but in apparent investigations of their own, Swiss authorities raided Fifa offices.

Altogether nine Fifa or Fifa member organisation officials and five company executives are indicted by the US. Another four individuals and two sports companies have already been convicted quietly, after plea bargains.

Where this leaves Jordaan is unclear. As head of the South African Football Association, he was reportedly due to fly to Zurich on Thursday to attend the congress – the same day he could be elected as mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay – should the ANC succeed in mustering its small majority in the metro.

Jordaan could not be reached for comment before going to press and did not respond to text messages. When amaBhungane phoned the ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa on Wednesday evening, the call was cut mid conversation, and he did not respond to text messages.

The Australian Associated Press report that police in the country have been asked to investigate a payment of $500,000 by Football Federation Australia to former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner:

It’s understood Bonita Mersiades, a former Australian football executive turned whistleblower, has written to the AFP asking that it investigate the matter following raids that resulted in the arrests of seven high-ranking executives of football’s global governing body.

The AFP’s commissioner, Andrew Colvin, on Thursday confirmed that it may investigate the allegations after the matter was raised by the South Australian senator Nick Xenophon during a Senate hearing in Canberra.

Xenophon has also called on FFA to formally report to US authorities the payment it made to Warner, who is facing eight counts of corruption.

He’s also urged the federal government to denounce Fifa’s president, Sepp Blatter, and request a fresh vote for the 2022 World Cup.

Australians should be worried about the $45m it spent on a “fixed” bidding process to host the event after several top FIFA officials were arrested on corruption charges, he said.

“The beautiful game has been turned into an incredibly ugly business,” Xenophon said on Thursday. “There needs to be action taken, but the first step is that we need to say that this is just outrageous.”

Both the Australian government and FFA needed to speak out about Blatter and the need for reform at Fifa to restore some integrity in the sport, he said.

“I think once you get some countries such as Australia speaking out, the dam will break and many others will speak out on this.”

It’s alleged Warner stole the money which had been intended for a stadium upgrade in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010.

Read the full story.

Here is the latest from Owen Gibson, the Guardian’s chief sports correspondent, in Zurich:

FA chairman Greg Dyke has moved to dismiss speculation that the current Fifa crisis could lead to England hosting the 2018 World Cup.

“This absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with an England bid for the World Cup or England hosting the World Cup,” said Dyke, ahead of a Uefa meeting to decide how best to challenge Blatter ahead of Friday’s scheduled presidential election.

“This is about one thing: how do you re-build the reputation of Fifa and turn it into an open, fair and honest organisation with Blatter still at the helm?”

Dyke has previously called on Blatter to go and questioned whether Friday’s vote could take place in light of the arrest of seven Fifa officials including two vice presidents by police in Zurich.

The suggestion that the controversial 2018 and 2022 World Cup race could could be reopened followed comments by Lennart Johansson, the former Uefa president who once failed to beat Sepp Blatter to the Fifa presidency, who says he expects Fifa to “reconsider the (World Cup) decisions.” (More from Johansson below).

In the strongest intervention yet by a top Fifa partner Visa has called for urgent reform and said it would otherwise consider its relationship with world football’s governing body, which currently runs until 2022.

“It will be interested to see how many other sponsors come out and say things like that,” said Dyke.

The latest dissenting voice towards Blatter comes from his former rival for Fifa presidency, Lennart Johansson. The former head of Uefa, who lost the 1998 Fifa presidential election to Blatter, says Russia and Qatar’s respective wins to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups should be reviewed following fresh corruption charges:

“I expect they will reconsider the (World Cup) decisions. Blatter himself has said that the decision to go east wasn’t proper. I am sure the initiative will now be taken to make a new decision.

“England haven’t had it since 1966 and it’s considered ’the motherland of football’, whatever we might think. They are worthy of the attention.

“I’m not surprised at what is happening. Blatter will obviously ensure that he wins the election in his own way. I think it’s unfortunate that the world’s biggest sporting movement has such a leader at the top, I really do.”

Read the full story.

The Guardian’s front page this morning leads with the growing number of voices throughout football as well as key stakeholders outside the game calling for Sepp Blatter to resign as Fifa president.

Greg Dyke, the chairman of the English Football Association, is one of those demanding Blatter immediately steps down:

“Blatter has put out a statement saying now is the time to start rebuilding the trust in Fifa – there is no way of re-building trust in Fifa while Sepp Blatter is still there.

“Sepp Blatter has to go. He either has to go through a resignation, or he has to be out-voted or we have to find a third way. I think the time has come where the damage this has done to Fifa is so great that it can’t be re-built while Blatter is there so Uefa has got to try to force him out.”

In case you missed it, here is what happened on an unprecedented day of crisis for Fifa yesterday:

• Nine Fifa officials and four executives of sports management companies were arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes totalling $100m (£65m), according to the US Department of Justice.
  
• Fifa president Sepp Blatter was not among the accused. Fifa spokesman Walter de Gregorio told the Associated Press: “He is not involved at all.”
  
• The officials are accused of taking in excess of $150m in bribes stretching back 24 years. US prosecutors said the officials conspired with sports marketing executives to “shut out competitors and keep highly lucrative contracts for themselves through the systematic payment of bribes and kickbacks”.
  

Welcome to today’s live blog covering the developments in Zurich as the crisis at Fifa rumbles on. We will have the latest on this live blog as the story develops. Here’s a quick summary of the latest news.

• England should host 2018 World Cup not Russia, says Johansson
• Blatter faces calls to resign, as sponsors express ‘disappointment’
• Jack Warner spends night in jail after corruption arrest
• ‘Old bastards!’ Latin America delights in Fifa arrests
• Xenophon: Australia ‘treated like a mug’ over 2022 Fifa World Cup