WATCH: Sepp Blatter, the head of world soccer, won a fifth term as president of FIFA despite the organization being mired in allegations of corruption and bribery. Many wanted him out, including Canada and the U.S. But as Eric Sorensen reports, they were outnumbered.
In heavyweight boxing terms, you can’t get bigger than FIFA vs. UEFA.
The battle between the world soccer body and the European soccer regulator resumes Saturday when newly re-elected FIFA President Sepp Blatter chairs a meeting of his 27-member executive committee. The panel must decide how to allocate qualifying slots for the 2018 World Cup.
READ MORE: Despite crisis at FIFA, Blatter wins re-election as president of soccer’s governing body
Europe’s 13 places – 14 including host Russia – should be safe. For now.
But earlier in the day, Blatter made it clear there may be consequences for European leaders who tried to oust him.
“I forgive everyone but I don’t forget,” Blatter told Swiss television channel RTS. “We cannot live without UEFA and UEFA cannot live without us.”
UEFA President Michel Platini led the opposition to Blatter in Friday’s vote and has suggested that European nations could consider boycotting FIFA – including the World Cup.
England to decline seat on FIFA executive
David Gill, the vice chairman of England’s Football Association, has confirmed he won’t take a seat on FIFA’s executive committee as long as Sepp Blatter is FIFA president.
Gill has replaced Jim Boyce in the FIFA vice-presidential role guaranteed to Britain. Still, he says he will reject his seat on FIFA’s powerful executive committee – the 27-body governing panel that has been the focus of many corruption allegations over the years.
READ MORE: Blatter blames FIFA scandal on Russia and Qatar world cup bids
Gill says Saturday “I do recognize that Mr. Blatter has been democratically elected and wish FIFA every success in tackling the many troubling issues it faces. However, my professional reputation is critical to me. And I simply do not see how there will be change for the good of world football while Mr. Blatter remains.”
Blatter won re-election Friday after beating challenger Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan. England had been among the many European nations backing Prince Ali.
‘Something that smells’ about FIFA raids
Sepp Blatter has little use for U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and an American federal investigation into international soccer corruption that she says has uncovered $150 million in bribes.
In a defiant interview with a Swiss RTS on Saturday, the president of world soccer body FIFA says “there is something that smells” about the timing of dawn raids to arrest top FIFA soccer officials in Zurich two days before his re-election on Friday. The arrests took place under a U.S. warrant.
Two FIFA vice-presidents and a recently elected FIFA executive committee member are among seven men detained in Zurich and accused of racketeering, money laundering and fraud in connection with tournament television rights.
READ MORE: Here’s what soccer moms and dads should know about the FIFA scandal
“I was shocked by what she said,” Blatter told RTS. “As a president I would never make a statement about another organization without knowing.”
Blatter also claimed that American animosity to him stemmed from U.S. backing for his defeated opponent, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, and from the U.S. losing out to Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup.
Russia backs Blatter
The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin, host of the 2018 World Cup, has sent a telegram to Sepp Blatter congratulating him on winning a fifth term at the helm of FIFA.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the telegram on Saturday after Blatter, 79, was re-elected Friday to lead the world soccer body despite strong opposition to his tenure from other nations in Europe.
The Kremlin said Putin “expressed confidence that experience, professionalism and high authority will help Blatter and further promote the expansion of the geography and popularity of football in the whole world. Putin emphasized that Russia is interested in and ready for collaboration with FIFA in general and in the preparations” for the 2018 World Cup.
Last week, Swiss authorities announced a criminal investigation into how FIFA awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
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