FIFA president Joseph Blatter has said he is determined to fight corruption but defended football’s world governing body against critics “whose mission seems to be grounded in bringing down anything FIFA do.” In a column for www.insideworldfootball.biz published on Thursday, Blatter said corruption was not specifically a FIFA or football phenomenon, but conceded FIFA may have a communications problem, saying “the perception of our conduct does not reflect reality.”
Blatter, who hopes to be re-elected president for a fourth term at the FIFA congress in Zurich on June 1, said while he was committed “to help weed out real corruption” FIFA’s critics also had to act in a proper manner.
Blatter, 75, who has been FIFA boss since 1998, is being challenged for the presidency by the Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar, who plans to reform the body and make it more transparent if he is elected.
FIFA has been under fire over corruption allegations directed at executive committee members ahead of the controversial choices of Russia (2018) and Qatar (2022) to host World Cups.
