Blatter Remains FIFA President Despite Investigation
IslandStats.com
Sepp Blatter says he will not stand down as FIFA President because of the criminal proceedings opener against him by Swiss investigators.
The Swiss, is suspected of signing a contract that was "unfavorable to FIFA" and making a "disloyal payment" to UEFA President Michel Platini.
Blatter, who had already said he will stand down in February 2016, claimed he "had done nothing illegal or improper".
Platini, has written a letter to UEFA members denying any wrongdoing.
In a statement released through his lawyers, Blatter said a £1.5m payment made to Platini, the head of European Football's Governing Body, in 2011 was "valid compensation and nothing more".
Both men are also facing investigation by FIFA’s independent ethics committee over the payment, which Platini said was for work as Blatter's technical advisor between 1999 and 2002.
Platini, who was interviewed as a witness by officers from the Swiss attorney general's office, stressed that the payment had been "fully declared" to the authorities.
The Frenchman, said he was "aware that these events may harm my image and reputation" and released a statement for "reasons of transparency".
The contract - described by Swiss prosecutors as "unfavorable to FIFA" - is thought to refer to a 2005 TV rights deal between FIFA and Jack Warner, the former president of CONCACAF, the Governing Body of Football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
According to an investigation by a Swiss broadcaster in September, the deal allegedly resulted in a multi-million pound profit for Warner's company.
World Governing Body FIFA, which has been hit by a string of corruption allegations in recent years, has said it is co-operating with the investigation into Blatter.
