Zurich: Sepp Blatter’s shock resignation as Fifa president failed on Wednesday to quell the corruption storm surrounding football’s world body that now even threatens to touch him.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into Blatter’s role in tens of millions of dollars of bribes given to football officials, according to US media.
Interpol, meanwhile, put six other suspects, including two former Fifa executive members, on its most-wanted list.
Critics of the 79-year-old Swiss official rejoiced at his thunderbolt announcement on Tuesday that he would stand down as soon as an election can be held to find a successor.
Most eyes remain on Michel Platini, the Uefa president who has not given a hint of his plans.
But Platini did call off a meeting of the European confederation to discuss the Fifa crisis in Berlin on Saturday because of the “uncertain and unpredictable events” surrounding the world body.
Blatter, who has ruled Fifa for 17 years, won a fifth term in an election on Friday, but renewed criticism of his reign and new corruption revelations about Fifa forced him into a corner.
Blatter vowed that in his remaining months in office he would “focus on driving far-reaching, fundamental reforms that transcend our previous efforts.”
US authorities have charged 14 football officials and sports company executives over more than $150 million in bribes. US Attorney General Loretta Lynch refused on Wednesday to comment on reports that Blatter is also an FBI target.
“We are not able to comment further on the nature of other individuals who may or may not be,” Lynch told reporters at a meeting in the Latvia capital Riga.
The New York Times, which broke news of seven arrests before the Fifa congress last week, quoted law enforcement officials and other sources to back their report that the Fifa chief is now in line.
ABC News said Blatter was part of the larger probe that led to the arrests of seven Fifa officials in a luxury Swiss hotel last Wednesday.
“Now that people are going to want to save themselves, there’s probably a race to see who will flip on [Blatter] first,” one source told ABC News.
Acting on a US request, Interpol on Wednesday put disgraced Fifa former executive members Jack Warner and Nicolas Leoz on their most-wanted list and issued an international alert.
Four heads of sports marketing companies have also been put on the list. All six are among the 14 wanted by US authorities.
Warner, a former Fifa vice president, is in Trinidad and Tobago. Leoz, an executive member, is reportedly under house arrest in his native Paraguay.
In parallel to the US inquiry, Swiss prosecutors are looking into the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments to Russia and Qatar. Both countries said they are carrying on with their preparations.
Blatter’s resignation resonated around the world. German tabloid Bild had a front page headline “Blatter Get Out!”
Brazilian legend Pele called for “honest people” to clean up the game, while New Zealand Football made it clear that Blatter was not welcome at the Under-20 World Cup currently being held there.
“These allegations are hotting up, they’re getting closer and closer to him,” NZF chief executive Andy Martin said.
A special congress to choose Blatter’s replacement cannot be held before December, according to Domenico Scala, chairman of Fifa’s independent audit and compliance committee.
