FIFA president Sepp Blatter not running for re-election as IOC member
Outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter will not be running for re-election for another eight-year term as a member of the International Olympic Committee. He has served on the committee for 16 years.
IOC president Thomas Bach said that Blatter, who was among several members up for re-election on Monday, told him via letter last month that he would not seek re-election.
“Mr. Blatter wrote me a letter on July 23 informing me that it would be inappropriate to seek another eight-year term as he was retiring from his position at FIFA in seven months when a new president will be selected on Feb. 26,” Bach said of Blatter.
The IOC's age restriction of 80 would have forced the 79-year-old Blatter's term to expire if he had sought re-election.
Fourteen committee members were re-elected for eight-year terms, while two others ere not re-elected due to age restrictions.
Blatter won a fifth, four-year term as head of the world’s governing soccer body, only to say he would step down days later because the ongoing corruption scandal rocking the sport.
A vote to replace Blatter will take place on Feb. 26 in Zurich to replace Blatter.
On May 27, 14 former FIFA officials were indicted and charged with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies by the United States Justice Department, which accused FIFA of decades of "rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted" corruption by members of world soccer's governing body.
Blatter, is reportedly under investigation for bribery and racketeering by several U.S. federal agencies and accused of corruption after being linked to officials taking bribes in efforts to secure lucrative broadcast rights and hosting votes for international tournaments.
- Scooby Axson
