SOCCER-FIFA/ROMARIO-ZICO Former Brazilian player-turned politician reacts to resignation of FIFA chief Blatter

Record ID: 150034

  • Title: SOCCER-FIFA/ROMARIO-ZICO Former Brazilian player-turned politician reacts to resignation of FIFA chief Blatter
  • Date: 3rd June 2015
  • Summary: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL (FILE - 2009) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FIFA PRESIDENT SEPP BLATTER (LEFT) AND FIFA SECRETARY GENERAL, JEROME VALCKE (RIGHT) ENTERING A NEWS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF THE 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL VARIOUS OF BLATTER AT NEWS CONFERENCE CLOSE-UP OF BLATTER BLATTER TOSSING A SOCCER BALL AND WAVING 'GOOD-BYE'
  • Embargoed: 18th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAB2IXZIUNBYA6LMUOPZWS2GKB0
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: CORRECTION: PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DATE IN THE SHOTLIST WAS CORRECTED FROM "MAY 02" TO "JUNE 02"
    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    Former Brazil striker, Romario, who is now a Brazilian senator, greeted news that FIFA President Sepp Blatter would be stepping down from his post with "relief," saying any alternative to the current head of world soccer would be an improvement.
    Blatter unexpectedly quit on Tuesday (May 2) in the face of a corruption investigation that has engulfed FIFA in the worst crisis of its history.
    "A lot of words… relief. Blatter leaving means morality in this entity (FIFA) starting now. Blatter's exit means that a lot of those people who thought they could never be reached, can be," Romario said outside of Senate in Brasilia.
    Blatter, who has led football's world governing body since 1998, is being investigated by U.S. prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a person who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters late on Tuesday. An FBI spokesman declined comment.
    Blatter has not been charged with any wrongdoing. FIFA did not respond to a request for comment on Blatter being under investigation.
    The 79-year-old Swiss national, who has been a dominant presence at FIFA for decades, announced his decision to step down at a hastily arranged news conference in Zurich, six days after police raided a hotel in the city and arrested several FIFA officials - and just four days after he was re-elected to a fifth term as FIFA president.
    Romario, who has for years been a critic of FIFA and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), said the corruption problems in soccer were now plain to see to the world.
    "All of this; he omitted, he left, he took, he was not an honourable guy for some 20 years as the head of FIFA. It's not me that's saying that, everyone knows that FIFA is a very corrupt entity and over the past 10 years there have been a various negative corruption stories in FIFA. So, it isn't me that is classifying FIFA as a corrupt entity, even less so (about) Blatter, it's because that is the truth. And the whole world has seen, and so have I," he said.
    It may be months before FIFA calls new elections to replace Blatter, but the soccer world is already abuzz with speculations of who might be called up to replace him.
    Romario said anyone would be better than Blatter who will remain in his post until elections are finalized, possibly in December.
    "To compete with Blatter, the only person I know, that we know, is (former Portuguese soccer player Luis) Figo. But when he withdrew his candidacy a prince (Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein) remained there, who took part too. Today I saw some reports that (former French football star Michel) Platini is interested in stepping up to FIFA (as president). What I can confirm to you, my friends, right now, anyone is better than Blatter," Romario said.
    Portuguese soccer star and former FIFA presidential candidate Luis Figo has said now is not the time to decide if he would run again.
    Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, who withdrew from last week's presidential election after winning 73 votes to Blatter's 133 in the first round, stopped short of confirming he would run again.
    Among potential candidates to lead FIFA, France's Michel Platini, the current president of the European football body UEFA, is the favourite.
    UEFA had opposed Blatter, and Platini had urged him not to stand for re-election as FIFA faced the worst crisis in its 111-year history.
    Former Brazil international Zico has also expressed interest in the post.
    The 62-year-old Zico, who played in three World Cups, served as Brazil's sports minister in the 1990s and has decades of experience at all levels of the game including management stints in Japan, Turkey, Russia, Greece and the Middle East.
    Zico, who led Flamengo to the Intercontinental Cup in 1981 and was a member of the Brazil side at the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cup, admitted he had no backing to support a presidency bid as yet but would see how the idea developed.
    Other possible candidates could include Chung Mong-joon, billionaire scion of South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate; Domenico Scala, independent chairman of FIFA's audit and compliance committee; Argentine football legend Diego Maradona; Jerome Champagne, a former French diplomat and FIFA deputy secretary general; and German Wolfgang Niersbach, a former FIFA media chief.
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