Updated on
Summary Sepp Blatter has said that executive committee members FIFA shouldn't become a target of criticism.
FIFA is not a mafia organization and its executive committee members shouldnt become a target for public criticism by its own anti-corruption advisers, president Sepp Blatter said Friday.Blatter defended world footballs ruling body, saying that a reform drive underway was working and restoring FIFAs credibility. He used a news conference to renew FIFAs call for world football to fight match-fixing and illegal betting, and said FIFA would seek to protect players who reported attempts to fix games.We are not corrupt or a mafia organization he said. It is always a question of perception and the question of reality. We are in a good mood and in a good moment and I am sure that we will be able to succeed.Blatter also insisted that there was no opposition to reform within FIFA despite claims to the contrary last week by Mark Pieth, who is leading an expert panel of anti-corruption advisers.Pieth had told a sports governance conference that older FIFA elected officials were resisting the reform proposals which Blatter invited his group to propose after bribery and vote-buying allegations damaged the games governing body.Blatter said he met Pieths panel on Thursday and corrected remarks made by the Swiss law professor. He also revealed that several of his colleagues had objected to Pieths comments when they discussed his reform mission on Friday.They were not happy about some declarations made by this independent committee or other officials involved there, the FIFA president told reporters, adding: There is no opposition in the FIFA executive committee towards the reform process.Blatter and his 25-member board met over two days at the same time as Pieths advisory panel gathered elsewhere in FIFAs home city of Zurich.
