Sepp Blatter Announces Resignation As President of FIFA

The end for Sepp Blatter came suddenly, just days after he had seemingly solidified his hold on FIFA. The 79-year-old leader of the world's most popular sport defied global animosity last week to win four more years in office. But his re-election only increased the pressure from colleagues, sponsors, athletes and fans for Blatter to step down as FIFA's president. At a hastily arranged news conference Tuesday, Blatter announced he would leave office within months and called for a fresh election to appoint a successor. Blatter, who could still be a target of U.S. investigators delving into decades of corruption and bribery accusations against FIFA officials, said, "I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football." A strained and serious Blatter read a six-minute statement in French before exiting without taking questions.