ZURICH, Switzerland – The just re-elected president of football’s world governing body, FIFA, today announced he will step down amidst a corruption scandal that has roped in a former FIFA official from Trinidad and Tobago and the current FIFA vice-president who is from the Cayman Islands.

 

Sepp Blatter’s announcement came just four days after being voted in to serve a fifth term.

 

“Although the members of FIFA have given me the new mandate, this mandate does not seem to be supported by everybody in the world of football,” the 79-year-old Swiss said at a press conference at FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich.

 

“FIFA needs a profound restructuring. I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA president until that election.”

 

Blatter said although he wanted the election to take place as soon as possible, enough time should be given for the best candidates to present themselves and to campaign.

 

According to FIFA’s rules, members must be given at least four months’ notice and the independent chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, Domenico Scala, indicated today that the election would likely be held between December 2015 and March 2016.

 

The next ordinary FIFA congress is set for May 13, 2016 in Mexico City.

 

The re-election of Blatter last Friday came two days after several top FIFA officials – including Trinidad’s Jack Warner, a former vice-president of FIFA and president of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF); and current CONCACAF president and FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands – were named in a 47-count indictment unsealed in court in the United States. They are accused of racketeering, bribery, wire fraud and money laundering.

 

It is alleged that Warner, Webb and other former and current FIFA officials and US and South American sports marketing executives systematically paid and agreed to pay well over $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to obtain lucrative media and marketing rights to international soccer tournaments.

 

Blatter is not facing any charges and Switzerland’s office of attorney general has confirmed that it is not investigating him.

 

It said in a statement that his resignation would have no influence on the ongoing criminal proceedings.