Blatter: Corrupt will be named

05 November 2011 13:47

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has vowed to name names next month as part of the anti-corruption drive he hopes will reform football's world governing body.

Blatter, who has set up a number of new anti-corruption panels to monitor behaviour across the organisation, will explain more fully how FIFA intends to clean up its act in a speech at the International Football Arena in Zurich on Monday.

In an interview with the website insideworldfootball, ahead of that speech, Blatter said: "It takes time to shake the tree until all bad apples have fallen to the ground. What I want to make clear is that by December of this year we shall present further facts, this time with names attached, on how we want to tackle the necessary changes in the governance of world football."

Blatter ordered the re-opening of the ISL case, which saw FIFA's former marketing partner go bust in 2001 amid allegations of bribery involving several leading FIFA members, as part of his clean-up programme and, although some of the sweeping changes planned can only be approved by the full FIFA Congress, he warned: "I want you to know that today we scrutinise everything, no matter where the chips may fall - be that within FIFA or on its periphery around the world.

"I have initiated relevant and powerful changes without 'ifs' and 'whens'. We owe the global public the type of transparency that we have not practised in all areas in the past."

Blatter described FIFA's last 100 days as "among the most difficult in its over 110-year history" but said that some of the personal criticism directed at him "occasionally degenerates into personal and below the belt attacks".

Source: PA