• ‘I own a golden cross that has been blessed by Pope Francis’Blatter challenges accusers to prove if he is corrupt
Sepp Blatter
has warned that anyone who associates him with the recent scandal at
Fifa “should go to jail” and insisted that “he will go to heaven one
day”.
Fourteen senior executives of football’s governing body were charged with corruption on 27 May by prosecutors in the United States over bids for major tournaments dating back 24 years.
Blatter is due to relinquish his role as Fifa president at an extraordinary congress to be held between December and March. However, after speculation that he could yet remain in his role was dampened by Fifa, Blatter is adamant that he has not committed any crime and revealed that he has been relying on his string Christian faith to help him through the crisis.
“I have a clean conscience,” he said in an interview with German magazine Bunte.
“If somebody accuses me of being corrupt, I ask him whether he knows the meaning of that word. Whoever calls me corrupt will have to prove it, but nobody can prove that because I am not corrupt.
“I am open to correct or positive criticism. I can use that to reconsider if I need to change in the future. But if anybody calls me corrupt because Fifa is corrupt, I can only shake my head. Everybody who says something like that should go to jail.
Blatter added: “My faith has given me strength during the last week. I am a religious person and pray, too. I own a golden cross that has been blessed by Pope Francis. I believe I will go to heaven one day. But I believe there is no hell. I disagree with the pope on that.”
Blatter’s US lawyer confirmed on Tuesday that the 79-year-old will not attend the Women’s World Cup final in Canada this weekend “for personal reasons”.
Fourteen senior executives of football’s governing body were charged with corruption on 27 May by prosecutors in the United States over bids for major tournaments dating back 24 years.
Blatter is due to relinquish his role as Fifa president at an extraordinary congress to be held between December and March. However, after speculation that he could yet remain in his role was dampened by Fifa, Blatter is adamant that he has not committed any crime and revealed that he has been relying on his string Christian faith to help him through the crisis.
“I have a clean conscience,” he said in an interview with German magazine Bunte.
“If somebody accuses me of being corrupt, I ask him whether he knows the meaning of that word. Whoever calls me corrupt will have to prove it, but nobody can prove that because I am not corrupt.
“I am open to correct or positive criticism. I can use that to reconsider if I need to change in the future. But if anybody calls me corrupt because Fifa is corrupt, I can only shake my head. Everybody who says something like that should go to jail.
Blatter added: “My faith has given me strength during the last week. I am a religious person and pray, too. I own a golden cross that has been blessed by Pope Francis. I believe I will go to heaven one day. But I believe there is no hell. I disagree with the pope on that.”
Blatter’s US lawyer confirmed on Tuesday that the 79-year-old will not attend the Women’s World Cup final in Canada this weekend “for personal reasons”.
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