10:05 04/06/2015
Zurich - FIFA staff gave Sepp Blatter a standing ovation on
Wednesday even as his resignation failed to quell a corruption storm
that could yet touch world football's fallen leader.
About 400
staff at the FIFA headquarters applauded the 79-year-old Swiss official
the day after Blatter announced he would step down.
"There was a long ovation lasting several minutes and Mr Blatter was very emotional," a FIFA spokesperson said.
Blatter's
close associate, the combative secretary general Jerome Valcke told
French radio he feels no guilt over a $10 million transfer to a
disgraced official being investigated by US authorities. He said he
would not immediately follow Blatter's example and resign.
The
FIFA president's departure stunned the football world, but the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now looking into Blatter's role in tens
of millions of dollars of bribes given to football officials, according
to US media.
Interpol meanwhile put six suspects, including two former FIFA executive members, on its most wanted list.
Critics
of the 79-year-old Swiss official rejoiced at his thunderbolt
announcement on Tuesday that he would stand down as soon as an election
can be held to find a successor. No vote is expected before December.
His decision sparked a global race to take over as head of the world's richest and most powerful sporting federation.
South
Korean tycoon Chung Mong-Joon, Prince Ali bin al Hussein, who was
beaten by Blatter in a vote last Friday, and Brazilian football legend
Zico all said they could take part. Most eyes remain on Michel Platini,
the UEFA president who failed in his bid as kingmaker last week, who has
not hinted at his plans.
Blatter, who has ruled FIFA for 17
years, won a fifth term in an election on Friday. But renewed criticism
of his reign and new corruption revelations about FIFA forced him into a
corner.
"While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do
not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football - the
fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love
football," he told a press conference.
Blatter vowed
that in his remaining months in office he would "focus on driving
far-reaching, fundamental reforms that transcend our previous efforts."
A FIFA spokesman said Blatter gave a similar speech to staff on Wednesday when he was applauded.
US authorities have charged 14 football officials and sports company executives over more than $150 million in bribes.
The
New York Times, which broke news of seven arrests before the FIFA
congress last week, quoted law enforcement officials and other sources
to back their report that the FIFA chief is now in the firing line.
"Now
that people are going to want to save themselves, there's probably a
race to see who will flip on (Blatter) first," one source told ABC News.
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch refused Wednesday, while on a trip to Latvia, to comment on the reports.
However,
it emerged also on Wednesday that the Swiss authorities were yet to
receive extradition requests from their American counterparts.
"We
have not yet received formal extradition demands; we will release a
statement when it happens," said justice ministry spokesman Folco
Gallia.
Acting
on a US request, Interpol on Wednesday put disgraced FIFA former
executive members Jack Warner and Nicolas Leoz on their most wanted list
and issued an international alert.
Four heads of sports marketing companies have also been put on the list.
Warner,
a former FIFA vice-president, is in Trinidad and Tobago. Leoz, an
executive member, is in poor health and reportedly under house arrest in
his native Paraguay.
Warner is at the centre of the corruption
storm, with US authorities focusing particularly on a $10 million
transfer between South African authorities and Warner, which was made
through FIFA.
Reports say US investigators believe Valcke
authorised the transfer and the money was intended as a bribe. FIFA says
it acted only as an intermediary for South Africa.
"I have
nothing to blame myself for and I certainly do not feel guilty so I do
not even have to justify my innocence," the French official told the
France Info radio station in an interview.
"I don't have the power
to authorise a payment, especially one of $10 million, and above all
one that comes from another account separate from FIFA," added the
54-year-old, who has been secretary general since 2007.
In
parallel to the US inquiry, Swiss prosecutors are looking into the award
of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments to Russia and Qatar.
Qatar
said that Blatter's resignation would have "no impact" on its World Cup
preparations. The Kremlin also said that Russia was "surprised" by the
resignation but it was also going ahead with plans.
