MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Blatter “welcomes investigations” into such “misconduct that has no place in football”

“We understand the disappointment that many have expressed and I know that the events of today will impact the way in which many people view us”, said Blatter.

FIFA chief Joseph Blatter in a brief statement said on Wednesday afternoon that “we welcome the actions and the investigations by the US and Swiss authorities” and further on emphasized that “such misconduct has no place in football and we will ensure that those who engage in it are put out of the game”•

 Further on Blatter said that FIFA's independent Ethics Committee “took swift action to provisionally ban those individuals named by the authorities from any football-related activities at the national and international level”, adding that these actions are on top of “similar steps that FIFA has taken over the past year to exclude any members who violate our own Code of Ethics”.

Follows the complete statement: “This is a difficult time for football, the fans and for FIFA as an organization. We understand the disappointment that many have expressed and I know that the events of today will impact the way in which many people view us.

”As unfortunate as these events are, it should be clear that we welcome the actions and the investigations by the US and Swiss authorities and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken to root out any wrongdoing in football.

“While there will be many who are frustrated with the pace of change, I would like to stress the actions that we have taken and will continue to take. In fact, today’s action by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General was set in motion when we submitted a dossier to the Swiss authorities late last year.

”Let me be clear: such misconduct has no place in football and we will ensure that those who engage in it are put out of the game. Following the events of today, the independent Ethics Committee – which is in the midst of its own proceedings regarding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups -- took swift action to provisionally ban those individuals named by the authorities from any football-related activities at the national and international level. These actions are on top of similar steps that FIFA has taken over the past year to exclude any members who violate our own Code of Ethics.

“We will continue to work with the relevant authorities and we will work vigorously within FIFA in order to root out any misconduct, to regain your trust and ensure that football worldwide is free from wrongdoing”.

In a similar vein with its own statement states that FIFA as an organization “welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football” and marks a difference between the US investigation related to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, and the Swiss authorities' based on FIFA’s initiative of presenting the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process, which has opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown in relation to the 2028/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process“.

Follows the full statement:

”FIFA welcomes actions that can help contribute to rooting out any wrongdoing in football. We understand that today’s actions by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice on behalf of the US authorities and the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (initiated by FIFA through the submission of the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup bidding process) relate to different matters.

“Firstly, the arrest of six individuals this morning in Zurich concerns investigations by the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of the State of New York. The Swiss authorities, acting on behalf of their US counterparts, arrested the individuals for activities carried out in relation with CONCACAF and CONMEBOL business.

”The second instance follows FIFA’s initiative of presenting the file on the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ bidding process to the Swiss Office of the Attorney General in November 2014. The authorities are taking the opportunity of the FIFA Congress to interview those FIFA Executive Committee members who are not Swiss residents who voted back in 2010 and are still in office.

“Today, the Swiss Office of the Attorney General announced that it has opened criminal proceedings against persons unknown in relation to the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup™ bidding process. FIFA is fully cooperating with the investigation and is supporting the collection of evidence in this regard. As noted by the Swiss authorities, this collection of evidence is being carried out on a cooperative basis.

”We are pleased to see that the investigation is being energetically pursued for the good of football and believe that it will help to reinforce measures that FIFA has already taken”.