THE PRESIDENT OF FIFA, Sepp Blatter, has used an interview with Swiss newspaper Matin Dimanche to launch an attack on those he believes responsible for attempting to turn public opinion against his stewardship of the organisation.

Since the 2010 World Cup, Blatter has found himself the unwilling subject of several damning investigations into his conduct as president of the Swiss charity.

Criticism of his leadership became front page news in Britain after England failed in its bid to secure hosting rights to 2018 World Cup, an event the 75-year-old claims is the determining factor in every one of the allegations levelled against him.

“For 60-70 years, the major sports federations were in British hands. This is not the case. The English lost power and, more recently, the 2018 World Cup. They were anxious, much more than the Olympics. They felt that football was coming home. The World Cup was rightfully theirs. When they came here with Beckham, Prince William, and Prime Minister Cameron, they were sure to win.

“They ended up with two votes. Since then, they have tried everything to justify their defeat.”

While Blatter’s name is synonymous with corruption and institutional malfeasance throughout the English-speaking world, his leadership of FIFA is significantly less controversial a subject on the European mainland.

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