EU Parliament urges Blatter to quit FIFA post ‘quickly’
The European Parliament (EP) has passed a resolution, calling on resigned FIFA President Sepp Blatter to immediately leave his post and allow a provisional head to initiate reforms in football’s international governing body.
During a plenary session in Strasbourg, France, on Thursday, the MEPs overwhelmingly voted in favor of the resolution, which is not legally binding.
Ahead of the Thursday vote, Tibor Navracsics, EU commissioner for education, culture, youth and sport, said FIFA was no longer fit to manage international football, adding, “Small change will not be enough, but big change might not be enough either. FIFA needs a fresh start.
“FIFA is a sick organization and its sickness is due to those who have governed it,” said Santiago Fisas Ayxelá, a Spanish politician from the European People’s Party, the parliament’s main center-right faction.
Blatter has already tendered his resignation as FIFA president amid a major corruption scandal involving several top officials the international football federation, but he has said he will remain in office until his successor is elected in the next extraordinary FIFA congress.
“I have decided to lay down my mandate [as newly-elected FIFA chief] at an extraordinary elective congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA president until that election,” said Blatter after announcing his decision to resign in the Swiss city of Zurich on June 2.
He further urged “the Executive Committee to organize an extraordinary congress for the election of my successor at the earliest opportunity” before the next ordinary FIFA Congress, which is set to be held on May 13, 2016 in Mexico City.
He did not, however, give any date for the extraordinary meeting.
Chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, Domenico Scala, stated last week that the new congress may be held between December 2015 and March 2016. The exact date will be announced in July.
MFB/MKA/HMV
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