Blatter vows to restore FIFA credibility

FIFA president Sepp Blatter was re-elected unopposed last week following bribery claims against his only rival.Sepp Blatter admits that FIFA's reputation has been tainted by recent scandalsPresident says FIFA's financial wealth has brought in "a lot of devils"But he rules out blanket life bans for any FIFA members guilty of corruptionHenry Kissinger and Placido Domingo to form part of new "solutions committee"

(CNN) -- Sepp Blatter has told CNN that his main aim in his fourth and final term as FIFA president is to restore the battered credibility of world football's governing body.

The 75-year-old was re-elected unopposed as head of the organization on June 1 after the only other candidate, Asian Federation chief Mohamed Bin Hammam, pulled out of the race before being provisionally suspended by FIFA over bribery allegations.

The vote drew widespread criticism as Blatter received 186 votes from football's 208 member associations, with critics saying it should not have gone ahead until the investigation into Hammam and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner -- who was also subject to suspension -- had been completed.

"I have said 'zero tolerance' is one thing, but I have also said the social and cultural implementation of football is important -- but now it's to rebuild the image of FIFA, that's number one, and I have already started," Blatter told CNN in his first sit-down interview since the election.

Never mind Saint Sepp, the system is to blame

We are now somewhere where football needs a little bit more credibility ... A lot of devils came in to the game
--Sepp Blatter

"We are now somewhere where football needs a little bit more credibility because we came building up football, bringing so much money in to this game.

"Automatically a lot of devils came in to the game and now we are in a situation where we have to go forward and we have to cut all these allegations, criticism, whatever. We can't do it in one day, but we will do it."

Blatter -- who described his election win as "the title without glory" and called the ruling body "my FIFA" -- ruled out blanket life bans for any FIFA member found guilty of corruption.

"It's not a killing instinct that we have to kill people! Zero tolerance means that if you commit something outside the play of field, you will have a punishment," the Swiss administrator said.

"But it can be a yellow card, it can be a red card, it can be a suspension for two games, three games ... lifetime."

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Despite recent turmoil and opposition to Blatter in the race for the presidency, the Swiss insisted that both Hammam and Warner were longtime friends who remain on good terms.

"We are friends, but friends going together when it is in the interest of some of the people. For me, going together with people it's only for the interest of FIFA because I have represented FIFA for 36 years -- it's my FIFA," Blatter said.

Warner has since backed down, for legal reasons, on threats to release "a football tsunami" by making public his email correspondence with Blatter.

"This is a question of character. If you have a problem inside your family you are not going to disclose if there is anything to be disclosed to the public," Blatter said.

"But I don't know what he means by the tsunami! It's easy to say, it's like allegations made by (England's former 2018 bid leader) Lord Triesman -- these are allegations and there is no evidence, so if somebody says it's a tsunami, you know there are also very little tsunamis."

Blatter commits to 'change' after winning FIFA's presidential vote

Blatter said he would not open an investigation into the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar -- Hammam's native country, which has been accused of bribing delegates ahead of last December's controversial vote -- unless his proposed new "solutions committee" or FIFA's existing ethics panel recommended such a probe.

FIFA's own secretary general Jerome Valcke wrote an email suggesting that Qatar's financial clout had been behind its success.

"Let me work now on this new approach of the ethics committee, let me work with this committee of solutions. And if this committee of solutions or the ethics committee have the impression that they should do something then let them take the decisions," Blatter said.

Blatter has vowed to bring in a panel of experts to form the solutions committee and help address FIFA's problems, including 88-year-old former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff, 64, and 70-year-old opera great Placido Domingo.

"These gentlemen are more or less advisers. They are not the experts but advisers, and what they should be also is the kind of council of wisdom -- which my Executive Committee would not like because they think they are the council of wisdom," Blatter said.

"Placido Domingo will be part -- he is happy, he is proud that he is part -- as Kissinger also! People say he (Kissinger) is an old man, but he is a wise man."

The solutions committee will be chaired by a FIFA official, with Blatter dismissing suggestions that it should be an entirely independent body.

"The football family has asked me to solve the solution inside FIFA and not outside FIFA," he said. "And if we have to go and open our borders and say everyone can come in ... we are a very organized institution with 208 associations, six continents. I've put already zero tolerance in the agenda!"

CNN

Blatter tips Kissinger for FIFA role

FIFA president Sepp Blatter mentioned Henry Kissinger as someone who could help reform soccer's governing body.FIFA president Sepp Blatter lines up Henry Kissinger for reform roleFormer U.S. secretary of state could help clean up soccer's world governing bodyBlatter was re-elected to serve a fourth term as president on WednesdayFIFA has been rocked by corruption allegations in recent weeks

(CNN) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter could turn to former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger to help clean up soccer's world governing body.

Blatter was the only candidate in Wednesday's election held in Zurich, Switzerland and was duly returned to serve another four-year term.

The ballot was held among a storm of corruption allegations against the organization which saw Blatter's only rival, Mohamed Bin Hammam, suspended by FIFA's Ethics Committee on bribery charges.

The Qatari subsequently dropped out of the presidential race.

Blatter re-elected as FIFA president

After his re-election Blatter vowed to put "FIFA's ship back on the right course in clear, transparent waters" and former Nobel Peace prize winner Kissinger could now be approached to head up a new 'Solutions Committee'.

The Swiss also said former Dutch legend Johan Cruyff could be a part of his bid to clean up FIFA's reputation after weeks of negative headlines.

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At a press conference Blatter told reporters: "This will be a commission of the wise. Kissinger loves football: he'll be part of it.

This will be a commission of the wise. Kissinger loves football: he'll be part of it
--Sepp Blatter, FIFA president

"And Cruyff, he's the perfect personality to help us in this solution commission."

Kissinger, 88, served under former U.S. presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and has been used in an advisory capacity by several governments since.

He attended the 2006 World Cup in Germany and is thought to be friends with the FIFA president.

Kissinger's spokeswoman Jessee Leporin was quoted by AFP as saying: "Although Dr. Kissinger has not yet received a formal request, he did receive an exploratory letter from FIFA president Blatter, inviting him to join a committee."

Blatter vowed to reform FIFA in the wake of bribery scandals that engulfed the election process. Two FIFA executive members were suspended after they allegedly sold their votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

Bin Hammam and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner were then suspended just days before the election after they were deemed to have paid bribes to officials.

Never mind Saint Sepp, the system is to blame

Blatter himself was cleared by the Ethics Committee after it was alleged he had also offered financial incentives to FIFA delegates.

Warner then released an email from FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke in which he claimed Qatar "bought" the 2022 World Cup. Qatar denied the claims and Valcke insisted his comments were misconstrued.

FIFA's sponsors, who contribute a large part of their financial income, Coca-Cola, Adidas, Emirates and Visa, then voiced their concern about the ongoing corruption allegations.

After Blatter's re-election FIFA voted through changes proposed by the president to alter the process they use to decide the host nations for future World Cups.

He later told a press conference in Zurich: "We have now instruments needed to restart the credibility of FIFA.

"When it comes to words from the beginning I have set the tone for this congress and I want the congress to know and to understand that we are in a situation which needs not only words as well as action in order to counter all these attacks.

"We have been hit; I have been slapped, we are [still] standing and we will no longer be slapped. We have created the necessary means to react against what we have fallen short of, so they say."

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'Crisis, what crisis?' Blatter denies trouble at FIFA

A defiant Sepp Blatter said he would press ahead with his bid for a fourth term in charge of FIFA.FIFA president Sepp Blatter shrugs off allegations of corruption in his organization"We are not in a crisis" the 75-year-old Swiss tells press conferenceBlatter will be pressing ahead with his bid for a fourth term as presidentFIFA Congress will vote Wednesday with Blatter sole candidate

(CNN) -- A defiant Sepp Blatter shrugged off allegations of corruption within FIFA Monday and said he would press ahead with his bid to be re-elected as president of football's world governing body for the fourth time.

Blatter will be the sole candidate in Wednesday's election in Zurich after Qatari Mohamed Bin Hammam, the only person standing against him, was suspended by the FIFA ethics committee Sunday, along with fellow leading official Jack Warner.

"We are not in a crisis, we are only in some difficulties and these can be solved inside our family," Blatter told a press conference Monday where he was continually pressed on both his own position and wider allegations of wrongdoing within FIFA.

"FIFA is strong enough to deal with our own problems," he asserted when asked if he had considered postponing Wednesday's vote by the 207-member FIFA Congress.

Was Blatter right to be defiant?

Blatter also ruled out a new vote on the venue for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"There is no issue for the World Cup in 2022," the 75-year-old Swiss said.

"I believe that the decision taken for the World Cup in 2022 was done exactly in the same pattern and in the same way as the 2018 tournament."

Bin Hamman, who led the Qatar bid, said earlier Monday that he would appeal his suspension.

"I am punished before I am found guilty," Bin Hammam said in a statement, saying he would "not accept" the decision.

Blatter, who was cleared by the ethics committee, did admit that the whole affair had affected FIFA's reputation.

"What has happened in the last few days and weeks. It has done great damage to the image of FIFA," he said.

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