Joseph S. Blatter looks on as he is re-elected as FIFA President after Presidential candidate H.R.H Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan withdrew from the second vote during the 65th FIFA Congress at the Hallenstadion on May 29, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland.; Credit: Alexander Hassenstein - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Despite the arrests of seven top FIFA officials this week in Zurich, Sepp Blatter has been reelected to a fifth term as the organization’s president.
Although Blatter did not surpass the two-thirds vote threshold necessary to win the election outright, his sole opponent Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan withdrew his candidacy after the first round of ballot casting. Blatter, who only fell seven votes short of winning in the first round, has faced continued calls for his resignation as FIFA and its officials have been accused of decadeslong acts of widespread corruption.
How will the soccer (or rather “football”) world react to Blatter’s re-election? Can he maintain the reins of power as the 14 indictments against top FIFA officials move forward? To what extent will his victory impede reforms at FIFA or of the World Cup?
Guest:
David Wallechinsky, President of the International Society of Olympic Historians and author of "The Complete Book of the Olympics" (Aurum Press, 2012)