only secured a fifth term last week, has finally
bowed to pressure to quit his post
Michel Platini has backed Sepp Blatter for taking
the "difficult" decision to resign as Fifa president,
describing it as "brave" but also the "right" call.
Blatter had been under pressure to stand down
following the arrest of seven Fifa officials as part o
an FBI-led investigation into alleged corruption
within the game's governing body, with even
Platini himself begging his "friend" to quit.
However, Blatter stood firm and was re-elected as
president on Friday, securing a fifth, four-year ter
after the withdrawal of sole rival Prince Ali bin al-
Hussein following the Jordanian's conclusive
defeat in the first round of voting.
Fifa was hit by further scandal on Tuesday, as it
emerged that secretary general Jerome Valcke, on
of Blatter's most prominent colleagues, received a
letter about an alleged $10 million dollar bribe sen
by South African officials to an account controlled
by former vice-president Jack Warner in return for
support of the country's successful bid to stage
the 2010 World Cup.
Blatter attended a hastily arranged press
conference, at which he announced that he would
be resigning "as soon as possible" and that he
would call an Extraordinary Congress to find a
successor.
Platini said in a statement: "It was a difficult
decision, a brave decision, and the right decision."
The former France international had stated last
week that Blatter, whose 17-year-tenure has been
repeatedly marked by controversy, need to go for
the good of the game.
"I told Sepp Blatter to leave, to step down, becaus
he is giving Fifa a terrible image," Platini said.
"It’s not easy to tell a friend that he must leave
but that is the way history is going.
"I’m saying this with sadness, with tears in my
eyes. There have been too many scandals.
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