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Sepp Blatter dismisses notion that he could be arrested next

Sepp Blatter dismissed the notion that he could be arrested next in the United States' investigation into FIFA corruption.
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FIFA president Sepp Blatter dismissed the notion that he could be arrested next in the United States's investigation into FIFA corruption, according to the Associated Press.

Blatter was re-elected to a fifth presidential term on Friday.

"Arrested for what? Next question," Blatter said when meeting with international media on Saturday.

On Wednesday, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced charges for 14 FIFA officials stemming from decades of "rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted" corruption by members of world soccer's governing body.

On Friday, an investigator with the Internal Revenue Service who was instrumental in the indictments said he is fairly confident that there will be another round of indictments in the future.

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Among the indictment allegations was that South Africa paid a $10 million bribe to get FIFA officials to vote for the country's World Cup bid in 2006.

Blatter was asked if he was the "high-ranking FIFA official" named in the indictment who wired the money, to which he said, "Definitely that is not me. I have no $10 million," according to the AP.

The FIFA president also criticized Lynch, telling French-language broadcaster RTS that "As a president I would never make a statement about another organization without knowing."

Blatter addressed the manner in which the Department of Justice handled the arrests, which occurred when officials were gathering in Switzerland for their annual meeting​

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"Listen, with all the respect to the judicial system of the U.S. with a new minister of justice," Blatter said, "the Americans, if they have a financial crime that regards American citizens then they must arrest these people there and not in Zurich when we have a congress."

- Molly Geary