Days after getting elected as the world football governing body’s chief, the Fifa head Sepp Blatter announced he was resigning as the corruption allegations deepened.
The 79-year-old Swiss also said that he will be calling an emergency congress as on May 13 in Mexico City.
Blatter was re-elected last week even after seven top fifa officials were arrested over corruption charges.
Blatter said that he realised that his election for the the top job didn’t have approval of many of his colleagues.
Britain’s Sky news quoted Blatter as saying, ” While I have a mandate from the membership of Fifa, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football – the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at Fifa.
“Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective congress.
“I will continue to exercise my functions as fifa President until that election.”
British prime minister David Cameron too had asked him to step aside while the investigations were on.
The allegations of corruption emerged last week, when the US federal investigating agency FBI unearthed the evidence of money laundering and wire transfers involving top fifa officials.
Seven high ranking Fifa officials were arrested by the Swiss police on charges of corruption in an overnight raid in Zurich on Wednesday.
The suspects have allegedly been involved in schemes to make payments to Fifa delegates and other functionaries of Fifa sub-organizations totaling more than $100 million, reports suggest.