ZURICH
Sepp Blatter won a
fifth term as Fifa president on Friday in a dramatic end to an angry
campaign dominated by a corruption storm that engulfed the leadership of
world football.
His challenger, Prince Ali bin al
Hussein, withdrew from the race after preventing Blatter from getting
the required majority in the first round of voting.
Blatter,
who had defied calls to resign, raised his arms in triumph and promised
the congress to be the "commander" who "guides this boat Fifa" out of
the corruption turmoil it has sunk into.
The
79-year-old Blatter indicated he would not stand again saying he would
handover a "strong" Fifa to "my successor" in four years.
Blatter fell seven votes short of the two thirds majority to win in the first round. He got 133 votes to Prince Ali's 73.
The
brother of Jordan's king still forced the vote into a second round,
highlighting divisions within the scandal-tainted body that Blatter will
struggle to overcome.
The prince thanked those "brave
enough" to vote for him before announcing he was pulling out. Blatter
congratulated the prince on his performance.
The end of
the campaign was overshadowed by the arrest on Wednesday of seven Fifa
officials, including two vice presidents, accused by US authorities of
taking tens of millions of dollars in bribes.
Swiss
police are also investigating the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups
to Russia and Qatar which have also been surrounded by corruption
allegations.
In a final plea for votes, Blatter vowed to lead Fifa out of the corruption controversy if re-elected.
"I am held responsible for the storm. OK yes I accept this responsibility," he told the congress.
'MORALLY BANKRUPT'
"I
promise a strong Fifa, I want to climb back up the hill, arrange Fifa's
situation. I want a beautiful, robust Fifa, out of the storm," he said.
Prince Ali who has toured the world promising reform, "transparency" and to "restore respect" if he wins.
"We
have heard in recent days, voices which described our Fifa as an
avaricious body which feeds on the game that the world loves," he said
in his address.
"We have heard questions raised about whether our family is morally bankrupt."
Most
of Europe's 53 votes went to Prince Ali, along with the United States
and Australia. But Blatter's rockbed support in Africa and Asia saw him
through to a new term.
Blatter spent the final days and
hours seeking to reassure his supporters that he was still capable of
running the organisation after the shock dawn arrests at Fifa's Zurich
hotel on Wednesday and the parallel raid on Fifa headquarters by Swiss
police.
Blatter questioned the timing of the arrests so
close to the election, declaring: "People say it was a coincidence. But
I have a small question mark."
Blatter said the arrest
of the seven had unleashed a "storm" and that the congress has "vital
decisions" to take. But he added: "Today I appeal for a team spirit,
unity, so we can advance together. It may not be easy but that is why we
are here today."
Blatter repeated his case that he cannot "monitor" football affairs alone and cannot be blamed for the scandals.
"The
guilty ones are individuals, not the whole organisation," he insisted,
calling for greater action by regional confederations and national
associations.
Blatter scored one victory when the
Palestinian Football Association withdrew a motion to expel Israel from
FIFA because of restrictions on Palestinian teams.
But he was made to wait to savour his victory.
On
Thursday, he rejected an appeal by Uefa's president Michel Platini to
resign because of the scandals that the European football leader said
has critically tarnished Fifa's image.
The boss of
football's governing organisation remained defiant as governments joined
sponsors in crying foul overFifa's corruption scandal.
While
Russia's President Vladimir Putin condemned the US action in asking for
the extradition of the seven officials, British Prime Minister David
Cameron backed calls for Blatter to resign.
French President Francois Hollande said sports groups selecting the hosts of major events must be "irreproachable".
German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that if world football
cannot clear up "poisonous" corruption, government agencies would be
forced to step in.
SPONSORS' ANGER
Commercial
fallout grew with South Korea's Hyundai Motor, a major sponsor of Fifa,
saying it was "extremely concerned" at the new scandals.
Credit
card giant Visa has threatened to "reassess" its sponsorship if Fifa
does not clean up its act. Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald's and Budweiser
have also spoken out. The United Nations says it is reviewing its
cooperation accords with Fifa.
The seven arrested
football officials — including Fifa vice presidents Jeffrey Webb and
Eugenio Figueredo — remained in custody on Friday. Six have indicated
they will fight extradition to the United States, Swiss authorities
said.
The corruption storm is unlikely to ease with Blatter's re-election.
Platini said Uefa could discuss measures against Fifa on June 6 if Blatter wins.