ZURICH: Sepp Blatter stunned the world of soccer when he resigned as FIFA president on Tuesday, ending a 40-year career at the sport’s governing body just four days after being re-elected to a fifth term despite a US corruption investigation.

The 79-year-old, who has held office since 1998, announced the decision at a news conference in Zurich, six days after Swiss police, acting on a request from United States authorities, raided a hotel in the Swiss city and arrested several FIFA officials. Blatter has not been charged.

“While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel I have a mandate from the entire world of football — the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at FIFA,” Blatter told a news conference called at short notice and held after a delay.

“This is why I will call an extraordinary congress to be held as soon as possible, for a new president to be elected to follow me.”

Domenico Scala, head of FIFA’s independent audit and compliance committee, said there would need to be four months’ notice for any new presidential election.

“The decision for the timing of the election of the next president will be up to the executive committee and will take place any time from December until March.”

Blatter had been re-elected after his only rival, Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, withdrew after gaining 73 votes to Blatter’s 133 in the first round of voting.

FIFA called the news conference at their headquarters in a hilly Zurich suburb at only one hour and 20 minutes notice, an almost unprecedented move.

There was a tense atmosphere among FIFA employees and head of media Walter De Gregorio was close to tears as he sat through Blatter’s speech.

Blatter, who began his career as a development officer in Ethiopia and then became secretary general from 1981 to 1988, said criticism from outside FIFA had weighed on his decision.

He was also critical of the structure of the executive committee, over which he said he has no control.

“The executive committee includes representatives of confederations over whom we have no control, but for whose actions FIFA is held responsible,” he said. “We need deep-rooted structural change.”

Great for football

Sepp Blatter’s shock resignation as FIFA president on Tuesday was hailed as “great for football” by one of his chief critics, English FA chief Greg Dyke, who said he suspected a “smoking gun.”

Dyke, who told BBC World he lost faith in Blatter last year, said he thought the 79-year-old Swiss realized the mounting corruption scandal that has engulfed world football’s governing body “was getting close to him.”

“It is a good afternoon! I think it’s brilliant for world football. This is the start of something new,” said Dyke.

“When I left on Friday (when he was reelected for a fifth term) I said ‘this is not over’ — but even I couldn’t have thought it’d be over so soon.

“Why didn’t he step down last week? Clearly there’s a smoking gun of some sort. He’s not been honorable in years. Now he’s gone — let’s celebrate.

“The whole organization of FIFA needs re-structuring. The whole organization needs looking at financially.

Prince Ali to stand anew

Jordanian Prince Ali bin al Hussein will stand in new elections for the presidency of world football’s governing body after Sepp Blatter announced he was to quit FIFA, a senior Jordanian football official told AFP.

“As for new elections, Prince Ali is ready,” Sala Sabra, vice-president of the Jordanian football federation which the prince heads up, said.

The prince, Sabra added, was also ready “to take up the presidency immediately if they ask him.”

“We’re currently studying the legal situation of the FIFA presidency,” said Sabra, who added that it had “lost its legitimacy.”

“Prince Ali is ready to take over as FIFA head at any moment, should they ask him,” reiterated Sabra, dubbing Blatter’s announcement a “big collapse” and hailing the prince at “having succeeded in provoking change.”

In Friday’s presidency election in Zurich, Blatter won 133 votes to Prince Ali’s 73 in the first round of voting.

That left Blatter seven votes short of the required majority, requiring a second round of voting.

The Jordanian prince, a FIFA vice president campaigning for reform of the scandal-tainted organization, withdrew before that second round, however, allowing Blatter in for his short-lived fifth term.