Blatter insists that He is clean

I’m clean, insists Blatter The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper / 4 hours ago Outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter has told the BBC he is “clean” and “there is no corruption in football” amid criminal investigations at world football’s governing body, BBC reports. Blatter, president since 1998, will step down in February amid an inquiry into allegations of systematic bribery. The 79-year-old was elected for a fifth term in May but then stood down. “I did it because I wanted to protect Fifa,” he said. “I can protect myself. I am strong enough.” He added, “I know what I have done, what I have not done. “I have my conscience and I know I’m an honest man. I am clean. I am not a worried man.” Two criminal investigations into alleged Fifa corruption are still ongoing. So far, 14 people have been indicted by the United States justice department following claims that bribes and kickbacks of more than $150m (£97m) were handed out over a 24-year period. A Swiss investigation is also looking into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, leading to speculation that Russia and Qatar could be stripped of football’s flagship event and a re-vote ordered. But Blatter remains defiant and defensive of Fifa. “The institution is not corrupt,” he said, adding; “There is no corruption in football, there is corruption with individuals, it is the people.” In an exclusive interview with BBC sports news correspondent Richard Conway, Blatter also said he was not “morally responsible” for the likes of former Fifa executive Chuck Blazer, who admitted he accepted bribes in connection with South Africa as 2010 World Cup hosts.