MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Blatter a victim of conspiracy from “behind scenes”, claims daughter Corinne

“All these things happened just to discredit him so that he would resign. But I can tell you in about [two or three] weeks no one will talk about it anymore”

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is the victim of a conspiracy from “behind the scenes”, daughter Corinne Blatter told the BBC amid the corruption crisis gripping world football. Her comments come as key FIFA officials face a string of bribery charges. Blatter, who has been re-elected as Fifa president, has not been implicated but faces calls to stand down.

”Nobody is without fault but (...) he's not the person who is taking money,“ Corinne Blatter said.

Asked whether she thought there was a conspiracy against Mr. Blatter - who won re-election as head of world football's governing body on Friday despite the current crisis - Corinne Blatter said: ”I wouldn't say from the Americans and the British, but certainly people working behind the scenes, yes absolutely.“

She added: ”I don't know if you want to call them dark forces but I mean they really tried hard, they tried in September, October last year. How can UEFA who is saying 'we are the strongest confederation', how can they not put up a candidate?“

Blatter beat rival Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan on Friday in an election that was overshadowed by arrests and corruption allegations. Despite seven votes short of the needed two thirds, there was no run off since the Jordanian Prince stepped down.

In September 2014, Mr Blatter had come under pressure to quit after rejecting calls for a report into alleged World Cup bidding corruption to be made public.

Corinne Blatter's comments came as the head of the English Football Association called on UEFA president Michel Platini to unite Europe behind a collective boycott of the 2018 World Cup. And in further intrigue, South African newspapers reported on Sunday that the nation did pay 10 million dollars to a football association led by a figure at the centre of the Fifa allegations, despite a week of denials.

But Corinne Blatter denied claims that the events of the last few days had left her father with no credibility.

”All these things happened just to discredit him so that he would resign. But I can tell you in about [two or three] weeks no one will talk about it anymore.

“Other news will be top and he'll work normally, as he said on Friday at the press conference he had a great executive meeting and everyone is going to work together. He's also the president of those who didn't vote for him and they have to work together now.” And she denied again that FIFA's chief Blatter had taken any money.

“All the money he earned he earned it by working and he is a hard working president. All these people who say that he takes money I don't know what kind of money he should take and he's not the kind his character is not like that, he's not taking any money.”