By Graham Dunbar, Sports Writer
ZURICH (AP) --FIFA President Sepp Blatter criticized U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and an American federal investigation into soccer corruption which could yet lead directly to his door.
In a defiant interview with his local Swiss broadcaster, Blatter said "there is something that smells" about the timing of dawn raids to arrest soccer officials in Zurich two days before his re-election Friday.
Two FIFA vice presidents and a recently elected FIFA executive committee member were among seven men detained and accused of racketeering, money laundering and fraud in connection with bribes worth $150 million for tournament television rights in North and South America.
Lynch said Wednesday that indicted FIFA and marketing officials had "corrupted the business of worldwide soccer to serve their interests and to enrich themselves."
"I was shocked by what she said," Blatter told French-language broadcaster RTS. "As a president I would never make a statement about another organization without knowing."
Blatter then suggested the U.S. Department of Justice went too far in its actions which brought a torrent of condemnation down on FIFA, which he has led for 17 years.
"Listen, with all the respect to the judicial system of the U.S. with a new minister of justice," Blatter said, "the Americans, if they have a financial crime that regards American citizens then they must arrest these people there and not in Zurich when we have a congress."
Blatter spoke late Friday hours after FIFA member federations ignored the global protests to elect him to a fifth four-year term at the age of 79, voting 133-73 in favor of the Swiss against challenger Prince Ali bin al-Hussein.
He even suggested a political motive for the American investigation.
"The United States, it is the main sponsors of the Hashemite kingdom," Blatter said, referring to the Jordanian prince's home country.
Emboldened by his election win, Blatter explained his earlier comments Friday that FIFA's legal problems stemmed from choosing Russia and Qatar five years ago as the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts.
"The Americans were the candidates for the World Cup of 2022 and they lost," he said. "The English were the candidates for 2018 and they lost, so it was really with the English media and the American movement that came down."
Blatter's comments echo those of his close ally Vladimir Putin. The Russian president said this week that the U.S. was meddling in FIFA's affairs to influence the election and provoke his country being stripped of World Cup hosting rights. Putin sent a telegram to Blatter on Saturday congratulating him on the victory.
Lynch has said the American federal case is just at the beginning, with 14 men indicted and four more making guilty pleas, including American former longtime FIFA executive committee member Chuck Blazer.
The seven detained in Zurich are fighting extradition to the U.S. and face 20 years in prison.
They include CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb, a banker from the Cayman Islands. Webb was a member of FIFA's audit committee more than a decade ago when Blatter's organization was in severe financial crisis after a World Cup marketing agency collapsed into bankruptcy.
A separate Swiss federal investigation is also under way into possible financial corruption during the 2018-2022 bidding contests. Russian and Qatari bid officials have always denied wrongdoing.
FIFA's headquarters was also raided early Wednesday to seize evidence for the investigation which was prompted by a criminal complaint filed by Blatter last November.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More