Blatter Re-Election is Last Thing FIFA Needs -- ATRadio

(ATR)Still reeling from the arrest of several top football officials, FIFA will attempt to move forward with Sepp Blatter maintaining his stranglehold on power.

In the first re-vamped Sunday edition of ATRadio, Around the Rings recaps reaction to the 65th FIFA Congress and the investigations now looming over world football.

Last week,the United States Department of Justice charged 14 FIFA and sports marketing officialswith racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering.

Overall, 47 charges are being brought forth against the 14 officials.

In a separate investigation, Swiss officials are looking into corruption that allegedly took place during the votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

World Football INSIDER editor, and ATR European editor, Mark Bisson joined ATRon Friday from Zurich and the FIFA Congress.

"Four more years of Sepp Blatter is the last thing that FIFA needs right now," Bisson said.

Earlier in the week, ATR spoke with Diane Marie Amann for perspective on U.S. and Swiss investigations concerning several top FIFA and sports marketing figures.

Amann is the associate dean for international programs & strategic initiatives at the University of Georgia School of Law in the U.S.

"It's wrong to say that FIFA is the accused here," Amann told ATR.

"My understanding of the proceedings in Switzerland is that FIFA is actually the injured party."

Sponsors and several organizations throughout the international sports world are proceeding with caution as media probe for their thoughts on the FIFA investigations.

Founding board member of the Foundation for Global Sports Development, Dr. Steven Ungerleider, said he thinks it’s time for a clean-up at FIFA.

"The bad guys have to move on and we need a new generation of healthy, honest officials to run FIFA and make sure the cheating is put to rest."

Listen at the end of this edition of ATRadio for a preview of an interview airing this week between ATR editor Ed Hula and David Haggerty--the U.S. candidate vying for theInternational Tennis Federation presidency.

Written and produced byNicole Bennett

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Photos: Getty Images

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