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FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced Tuesday that he will step down from the presidency at the next FIFA congress.
Blatter, speaking at a press conference in Zurich, Switzerland, said “I only want to do the best for football and for FIFA.”
The next congress is scheduled for next May, but both Blatter and Domenico Scala, Chairman of FIFA's Audit & Compliance Committee, said the congress should be held sooner to begin the process of reforming FIFA.
Scala said four months notice is required to hold a congress, plus time for potential candidates to campaign. The date will be up to the FIFA executive committee, but Scala said the congress would likely be held in the time frame of December 2015 to March 2016.
Blatter's resignation comes as FIFA is embroiled in a corruption scandal. The U.S. Attorney General's office, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Swiss Government are all investigating FIFA. Nine FIFA executives were arrested in Zurich last week, pending extradition to the United States
Both Blatter and Scala said FIFA is in need of sweeping reforms to prevent corruption, possibly including the dissolvement of FIFA's executive committee, which has been linked to corruption.
"Nothing will be off the table," Scala said.
“The decision that he (Blatter) has made to day is very difficult and courageous,” Scala said.
“I am very much linked to FIFA and its decisions, and it is very dear to me, this is why I have made this decision,” Blatter said.
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
