Sepp Blatter might not be walking out that door after all.
Blatter is considering running for re-election as FIFA’s president, ESPN reported Sunday citing Swiss newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag. The news comes less than two weeks after Blatter announced he would step down from the role as soon as FIFA can elect a new president.
Schweiz am Sonntag quoted an unnamed source close to Blatter, who said the African and Asian confederations have expressed their support to the under-fire FIFA president and want him to remain in the role he has held since 1998.
FIFA will set a date next month for a new presidential election. Many expect delegates to cast their ballots in December.
Klaus Stohlker, a Zurich-based public relations advisor who helped Blatter’s most recent re-election campaign said Monday that Blatter remains the best person for the job.
“At the moment there is not a convincing candidate to replace Mr. Blatter with the same level of qualifications, of languages, of contacts, and knowledge of football,” Stohlker told Sky News. “As long as there is not such a candidate it remains open for Sepp Blatter to run again.
“There are some people that are asking him not to stand for the next election, there are some people that are asking him not to resign. There is a huge game going on for control of FIFA and the president is in a situation where he is making his opinion about what to do.”
FIFA responded to Stohlker’s comments on Monday, according to Sky News, saying he ceased advising Blatter on May 31 and pointed to Blatter’s June 2 remarks in which he announced he would not run in the coming election.
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Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@SkyFootball
