Blatter Says He Will Resign As FIFA President

04:57

June 02, 2015

The Associated Press

FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter talks to the press during the FIFA Post Congress Week Press Conference at the Home of FIFA on May 30, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Alessandro Della Bella/Getty Images)

FIFA President Sepp Blatter says he will resign from soccer's governing body amid a widening corruption scandal and has promised to call for fresh elections to choose a successor.

The 79-year-old Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term on Friday, two days after a corruption crisis erupted and seven soccer officials were arrested in Zurich ahead of the FIFA congress.

Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference on Tuesday, Blatter says "this mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football."

Blatter says that despite his re-election victory "FIFA needs a profound restructuring."

Elections are expected to take place sometime between December and March.

Guest

Curt Nickisch, business and technology reporter for WBUR. He tweets @CurtNickisch.

This segment aired on June 2, 2015.