Sepp Blatter confirmed on Tuesday that he would be stepping down as FIFA president following a 17-year reign at the top of world football's governing body.
Following the recent corruption scandal that has hit the organisation, the 79-year-old Swiss announced at a hastily-arranged press conference that his successor would be chosen between December 2015 and March 2016.
Blatter won his fifth successive presidential election last week, defeating sole challenger Prince Ali.
Read Sports Mole's minute-by-minute blog below to find out how Blatter announced to the world that he would be leaving his role as the most powerful man in world football.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live news blog for FIFA's hastily-arranged press conference in Zurich. World football's governing body informed the media earlier today that would be making an announcement, though it's currently unclear what that announcement will be. However, following a tumultuous week for the organisation, it can be assumed that it has something to do with the corruption scandal.
Reports earlier today suggested that FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke was directly involved in an alleged $10m (£6.5m) bribe that saw South Africa win the right to host the 2010 World Cup. Valcke will not be attending this evening's press conference, leading to speculation that he has been suspended from his role.
Or will Valcke in fact be in attendance? BBC reporter Richard Conway has suggested that he might...
Colleague has spotted Jerome Valcke within Fifa building.
— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) June 2, 2015
Blatter is here! The press conference is about to start...
Blatter is talking about his passion for the role. "FIFA needs a profound restructuring. Although I've been re-elected, my presidency is not supported by everyone around the world..."
Blatter has said that he is going to call an Extraordinary FIFA Congress as rapidly as possible to elect his successor.
SEPP BLATTER CONFIRMS THAT HE IS TO RESIGN
Huge news. Sepp Blatter confirms that he will resign from his position as soon as his successor is elected. "I will not stand.. I am now free of the constraints of the election. Reforms need to continue. We need a limit on mandates."
"FIFA's interests are very dear to me and this is why I've taken this decision. I'd like to thank everyone that has supported me and I repeat: what counts most to me is the institution of FIFA and football around the world. Thank you every much for your kind attention."
Domenico Scala, who is going to oversee the new election, is now talking: "By creating this announcement, Blatter has given FIFA the chance to go further than before..."
The next FIFA Congress is scheduled for 2016. It's due to take place in Mexico. However, an Extraordinary Congress will take place to elect Blatter's successor. "FIFA must give ample time for candidates to come forward and for campaigns to take place."
"As FIFA's work, the organisation will look at how it is structured. Nothing will be off the table. I expect this to be an important part of ongoing reforms. Current events only reinforce my determination to drive this forward. FIFA will seek to implement FIFA-driven integrity checks for ExCo members."
The new congress will take place between December 2015 and March 2016.
"Today the president communicated his decision to all 209 members. Now it's time for FIFA to move forward, regain the trust of the public. We must ensure that we deal with those people who use the organisation for their own gains."
Blatter departs. pic.twitter.com/areGUTZysE
— Richard Conway (@richard_conway) June 2, 2015
And with that, a short yet remarkable FIFA press conference comes to a close. Well, how about that? Sepp Blatter's resignation is sure to send shockwaves around the world. After 17 years at the helm, the Swiss will leave his role either at the end of the year or by March 2016 at the latest.
It's a quite incredible turn of events, all told. Blatter has weathered so many storms as FIFA president, but this latest corruption scandal has proven to be too much for him.
What now for Blatter? He still has a few months left as FIFA president, but the ongoing investigation into alleged corruption inside world football's governing body still hangs over the organisation. You get the feeling that there are still plenty of twists and turns to come in that saga.
Anyway, let's leave it at that for now. Thanks for your company, we hope to see you again soon. You can read all about Blatter's decision to quit right here if you're looking for a concise summary of events. Goodbye!
Written by
Jack Prescott
Jack Prescott
