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Blatter says he will resign as FIFA president

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AP Zurich
FIFA President Sepp Blatter today said he will resign from soccer's governing body amid a widening corruption scandal and has promised to call for fresh elections to choose a successor.

The 79-year-old Blatter was re-elected to a fifth term on Friday, two days after a corruption crisis erupted and seven soccer officials were arrested in Zurich ahead of the FIFA congress.

Speaking at a hastily arranged news conference, Blatter said "this mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football."

Blatter said that despite his re-election victory "FIFA needs a profound restructuring."

Elections are expected to take place sometime between December and March.

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First Published: Jun 02 2015 | 10:42 PM IST

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