Fifa whistleblower Chuck Blazer - bribes accepted for 1998 and 2010 World Cups: as it happened

Latest

• South Africa sports minister says $10m payment was above board
• Interpol issues alert for Fifa executives
• Fifa Exco member Kozo Tashima calls for Blatter to go now
• Fifa sponsors welcome Blatter's decision to stand down
• FBI investigation includes scrutiny of Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups

05.50

So that's it from me on the late shift in New York. Coverage will resume with our London team shortly.

05.33

So a brief recap of overnight news. Yesterday evening, Chuck Blazer's guilty plea was unsealed, confirming details of last week's indictment that bribes were paid in connection with awarding of the 1998 and 2010 World Cups. It was his deal to provide evidence that blew this case wide open. A few hours later, Jack Warner, a former Fifa vice-president who was arrested and bailed in Trinidad, went on the offensive, claiming he had all sorts of documents of his own proving corruption. He paid for a TV political broadcast and addressed a rally of his own supporters.

And earlier it emerged that the FBI had extended investigation to Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cup bids.

05.13

Fascinating account of bidding for the 2010 World Cup by Frank Lowy, chairman of Football Federation Australia. He describes making a donation to fund a feasibility study for a Centre of Excellence in Trinidad & Tobago, home to one Jack Warner. Australia offered $500,000 (far less than the sum requested). The money was paid to the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf), which later said it was conducting an inquiry into its finances...

That inquiry – conducted by 2 former judges and a senior accountant - found that Jack Warner had committed fraud and misappropriated the funds – in other words he had stolen the money from Concacaf. It also found other instances of wrongdoing by Warner over many years.

That initial inquiry by Concacaf was taken over by Fifa and Michael Garcia, and again Australia provided information to Garcia. We also became aware that law enforcement authorities in the US were looking into the matter.

We asked Concacaf to give our money back because it wasn’t used for the purpose we intended, and were advised by Fifa to wait until the inquiries were complete. Those inquiries are still ongoing.

04.15

Jeffrey Sachs, the economist, says the Fifa corruption scandal is emblematic of a wider problem - a global culture of impunity...

In some societies and economic sectors, impunity is now so pervasive that it is viewed as inevitable. When unethical behavior by political and business leaders becomes widely viewed as “normal,” it then goes unpunished by public opinion, and is reinforced as normal – creating an “impunity trap.” For example, with politicians in the United States now so flagrantly and relentlessly on the take from wealthy donors, much of the public accepts new revelations of financial impropriety (such as the Clinton Foundation’s morally dubious financial dealings) with a cynical yawn.

03.32

Reuters is reporting that military intelligence raided the headquarters of the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) on Wednesday as part of a corruption investigation following the arrest of its former president Rafael Esquivel in Switzerland. Esquivel was detained in Zurich last week along with six other officials of world governing body FIFA accused of receiving millions of dollars in bribes.

Venezuela's Public Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that military intelligence agents had gone into the FVF office in Caracas "as part of the investigation into alleged irregularities" by Esquivel.

It gave no further details and there was no immediate from the Venezuelan federation.

Esquivel, 68, who ran the federation since 1988, and the other detainees in Zurich could face extradition proceedings to the United States.

03.10

So guess what popped up today on Fifa's YouTube channel. Yes that's right, a look at how to get the best from your artificial pitch.... Don't they have anything better to do this week?

02.51

Here's more on Jack Warner's televised address and rally tonight. What is he up to? I can only guess he is trying to galvanise local support and claim he is the wronged party, victim of a smear campaign. But at least he's not railing against The Onion...

02.30

Shortly before addressing his supporters, Jack Warner, former Fifa vice-president, made a televised address saying he will prove a link between soccer's governing body and his nation's elections in 2010, according to AP. He said he feared for his life but had compiled reams of documents and cheques linking Fifa officials, including embattled president Sepp Blatter, to the 2010 election in Trinidad and Tobago.

I will no longer keep secrets for them who actively seek to destroy the country," Warner said.

02.20

I think it's fair to say that Jack Warner is in defiant mood as he addresses political supporters in Trinidad. Seems to be threatening fresh revelations which he thinks will clear his name...

01.35

Meanwhile, Jack Warner, former Fifa vice-president who was among those indicted last week, is expected to address a rally of his Independent Liberal Party in Marabella, Trinidad, shortly

00.55

The US women's team was holding its first practice in Canada today before their World Cup gets under way at the weekend. And you have to admire the optimistic tone struck by midfielder Heather O'Reilly when asked about the unfolding controversy:

I don't think it directly impacts what we're doing for the next month ahead of us.You know, there's a lot of talk about soccer right now. Perhaps, maybe, that will get people to watch this amazing tournament.

00.12

And just in case you needed reminding, here are some of Sepp Blatter's most controversial moments...

23.19

Oliver Brown, our chief sports feature writer, offers fulsome praise to the American proscutors who succeeded where Europeans had failed (or probably not even tried very hard)...

Legions of European adversaries had tried and failed to bring Blatter to account, but it took the combined might of the FBI, IRS, DOJ and every other glamorous acronym in the United States legal system to boot him out of his Zurich lair for good. This was justice, Team America-style.

So sustained and so earnest was the denunciation of Fifa across the Atlantic, we could even forgive the stilted rhetoric with which it was delivered. “Soccer is a beautiful game because the pitch is flat,” James Comey, the FBI director, intoned. “The game was hijacked, the pitch tilted.”

22.48

If you haven't yet read the Washington Post's excellent piece on the "curmudgeonly, old " investigative reporter who kicked off the whole Fifa investigation, then you really, really should. The work of Andrew Jennings is an example to us all...

It’s been a very happy week since they got that knock on that door. It’s nice to know that Herr Blatter won’t be able to sleep tonight. And that he’ll finally get to sleep around half past five. And at six o’clock someone will slam a car door outside and he’ll be shooting out of bed and under the bed. Serves him right. He’s not a nice man.

22.30

We have all been busy congratulating American prosecutors on wading in where others feared to tread. And we are all getting used to hearing about the latest "soccer" news. But I fear we may have overlooked one other small linguistic issue. At one point Judge Raymond Dearie (probably my favourite judge in New York) rather admitted his football naivety and had to pipe up thusly...

22.22

He then went on to say that from 2004 and through 2011...

I and others on the Fifa executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup.

22.19

There's a lot of confused reporting about exactly what Chuck Blazer said in the 2013 hearing. Here are his exact words as he admitted his role in corruption at the heart of Fifa...

During my association with Fifa and Concacaf, among other things, I and others agreed that I or a co-conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity. Among other things, I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup.

The indictment released last week alleges that this was in connection with an unsuccessful Moroccan bid.

21:50

It's the scandal that just keeps on giving. To recap: the transcript of Chuck Blazer's 2013 hearing in New York has finally been released, detailing the bribe taking that was involved in the staging of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as well as the 1998 World Cup.

I've finished for the night, but will here pass over to my colleague Rob Crilly, who will provide you with further reaction. Thanks for joining me.

21:45

21:37

Also, a quick reminder that Chuck Blazer still hasn't taken down his rather incredible blogspot site. It looks like the kind of thing an underwhelming eight year old child would disappoint their teacher with in their first ever IT lesson: check it while you still can.

21:34

Meanwhile, departing FIFA President Sepp Blatter has still not had any meetings with the office of the Swiss Attorney General. Andre Marty, a spokesperson for the Swiss Attorney General, had this to say:

To my knowledge no meeting whatsoever has ever been held with the President of FIFA and the OAG. Mr. Blatter, he never ever met anybody in this procedure, for sure not.

21:31

Blazer has admitted that he helped to "facilitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup".

However, it is unclear whether France or Morocco, another nation to bid for the competition, made the payment, "although Morocco have been named in the indictment as being prepared to bribe for 2006", as the PA report.

Our correspondent in Washington, Raf Sanchez, has also made this point.

21:23

Returning to the Blazer transcript, and remember that, earlier today, South Africa Sports Minister, Fikile Mbalula, "denied that the money was a bribe and says it was an "above-board payment" to help soccer development in Caribbean region".

But the Blazer document appears to quite flatly contradict this assertion, instead stating that the payments were "bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup".

21:15

Whilst we're waiting on the Blazer story to develop further, the distinctly more aesthetically pleasing David Beckham very recently had this to say about the FIFA scandal.

Some of the things that we now know happened were despicable, unacceptable and awful for the game that we love so much. Football is not owned by a few individuals at the top, it belongs to the millions of people around the world who love this sport. It is time for FIFA to change and we should all welcome it.

"Football belongs to the millions of people around the world"... that could be something taken straight out of The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists (if it was more about football and less about working class life, of course), what a man. Beckham was obviously left publicly embarrassed, along with the Prime Minister and the Prince of Wales, by England's disastrous bid to hold the the 2018 World Cup.

21:10

It's also worth mentioning that the transcript reveals that Blazer and others accepted bribes for the broadcast rights of a series of CONCACAF Gold Cup's, which is North America, Central America and the Caribbean's equivalent to the UEFA European Championship. Blazer's admission:

Beginning in or about 1993 and continuing through the early 2000s, I and others agreed to accept bribes and kickbacks in conjunction with the broadcast and other rights to the 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003 Gold Cups.

21:05

Sky Sports News are alleging that the report may have been redacted by the US Courts because it implicates further FIFA officials.

21:00

Interesting to note that Blazer alleges he arranged the bribes for which country would host the 1998 World Cup "in or around" 1992. That means FIFA corruption has been carrying on unchecked for, at least, 23 years.

20:55

That transcript leaves us with as many questions as it provides answers, with key information redacted.

20:50

The transcript also makes clear the corruption involved in the decision to award the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. The key Blazer quote:

Beginning in or around 2004 and continuing through 2011, I and others on the FIFA executive committee agreed to accept bribes in conjunction with the selection of South Africa as the host nation for the 2010 World Cup.

20:45

You can read through that full Blazer transcript here.

20:42

One of the biggest revelations thrown up by the transcript of Blazer's guilty plea, which has been made public, is that bribes were involved in the awarding of the 1998 World Cup, which was staged in France.

That key quote from Blazer, then:

During my association with FIFA and C0NCACAF, among other things, I and others agreed that I or a co-conspirator would commit at least two acts of racketeering activity. Among other things, I agreed with other persons in or around 1992 to faciitate the acceptance of a bribe in conjunction with the selection of the host nation for the 1998 World Cup.

20:36

20:35

Breaking: Chuck Blazer has admitted that he and others on the FIFA ExCo agreed to accept bribes over the award of the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. Blazer has also admitted that he facilitated acceptance of a bribe over the 1998 World Cup in France.

20:22

Oh, it appears FIFA might have already used that 'Legends' match idea...

20:20

Right, enough about Swiss law and statements from the Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy. We have an email from Greg, who has a burning question he wants to share with us all. The floor is yours, mate.

What opportunities lie ahead for FIFA!

Now, they (by they, I obviously do not mean the people who care about and, more importantly, pay for football; the supporters), the footballing elite, get to choose the person we hope will be less corrupt than the previous (Greg used a naughty word here so I've replaced it with the following:) silly-billy.

I'm no political expert but this feels a bit like choosing a pope. The people who pay for the product get no actual say in the matter, and those that do are not required to disclose or be transparent about their votes.

My question is: what is the best way to choose a new FIFA president? Since the old way failed in such spectacular fashion...

And that's a fine question, Greg, and I'm not sure anybody really knows. Personally I feel we should organize a big legends football match, and the best player gets the gig (my money is on Edgar Davids). I think one of the biggest problems with the whole organization is that it's very difficult to find any information on what each individual administrative role entails, and so it's obviously almost impossible to hold any of the executives to account. Until Adam Curtis decides to make a documentary on the topic, I guess we're all going to be kept in the dark.

20:10

Some absolutely shocking news coming out of Qatar, as the organizers of the 2022 World Cup say they "remain committed" and have "already begun preparations". Oh, hang on, that's not very shocking at all. The statement, from the memorably titled Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (that's never going to catch on), reads as follows:

The recent events at FIFA will not impact on our preparations for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. With five stadiums currently under construction we are ahead of schedule to deliver on our promises. Qatar has faced criticism from the moment we won the right to bring this tournament to the Middle East for the first time. We remain committed to using the World Cup as a platform to break down prejudice and misconceptions, while leaving a lasting legacy for our country and the rest of the region.

20:00

I think one of the things I most love about football is its ability to suddenly spark widespread interest in the most obscure of topics. When I first became interested in the beautiful game, I didn't really think that, years later, it would lead to me hastily reading up on my knowledge of Swiss law. But here we are.

The Associated Press are reporting that Swiss lawmakers have today voted to weaken a proposed law, known as 'Lex FIFA', which would have increased scrutiny of sports bodies. The law, which has been in the planning ofr many months now, is meant to make it simpler for prosecutors to investigate corruption allegations at private organizations.

However, Switzerland's upper house today voted on an amendment to the law which, in reality, make it a lot less effective, and already critics believe this will make it difficult for prosecutors seeking to bring a case against corrupt FIFA officials.

So there you have it, the next time you hear somebody criticizing football as all being a tremendous waste of time, blurt that one out and wait for everyone in the vicinity to drop to their knees in sheer admiration of you.

19:50

Of course, one of the only bright lights in this whole sorry scandal has been the constant, assuring presence of the official FIFA Twitter feed. Have they been providing important, up to date news updates on all of the important developments in the past 48 hours? Of course not! Instead, we've been treated to enthralling updates such as these:

Who needs information on one of the biggest sporting scandals ever to develop, when you could be reading about the improved tactical cohesion over at FS Srbije? Certainly not me.

19:40

Reports are coming in from Brazil that Marco Polo Del Nero, the man who replaced the shamed Jose Maria Marin as the president of the Brazilian Football Confederation, is coming under increased pressure to stand down.

Ronaldo is the latest Brazilian football hero to call for his resignation, and has had this to say on the matter:

It's evident the kind of relationship he (Del Nero) had with Marin. Therefore, it would be a good moment for him to resign.

Could Ronaldo perhaps find himself tempted by taking up a role in football administration? Don't forget he previously worked as an ambassador for FIFA's 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and might well see his future in such a role.

19:30

Shall we start with a bit of a Zico update? Why not!

Speaking on Facebook (I know, impressive for a 62 year old), the Z Man had this to say:

My life has always been within football. It's a passion I have pursued with seriousness and respect in Brazil and in other countries.

My wife and children support me. I have been minister for sport [in Brazil] and have experience with my club.

I think of football above politics. I don't have any backers yet but if [the race] is open, I could be a candidate for FIFA.

He certainly sounds an impressive candidate. But then again, it seems like any ex-pro who's played in more than ten games seems to be in with a good shout of landing the job at present.

19:20

Hello! Luke here working the lonely Blatter graveyard shift, and I'll be with you until late, bringing you even more developments from this juicy FIFA scandal.

If you have anything you'd like to contribute, or if you're a heavy hearted FIFA official looking to come clean, you can get in contact with me at luke.brown@telegraph.co.uk. Remember: I'm here to help.

19:00

Well we still don't know when the FBI intends to release Chuck Blazer's testimony, Sepp Blatter still hasn't left Zurich and nor will he for two weeks due to work, and we also don't know to what extent the Qatar and Russia World Cups are being investigated. Oh and Zico wants to be the President.

And on that note, I'm going to now leave all the actual clue gathering, fact finding and knowledge based information in the glorious hands of Luke Brown, who is going to be taking over this blog from now until whenever the blog stops.

Thanks for reading, see you soon sports fans.

18:55

I know what you're thinking. "This is all well and good JJ, and yes you are handsome, but what does Angela Merkel have to say about it all?"

The Associated Press knows:

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed Blatter stepping down, saying it was "now more possible that FIFA's work could be conducted on a more transparent basis."

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin on Wednesday, Merkel told reporters that as a football fan herself, "this is an important message."

18:50

No amount of FBI investigations appear to be putting off potential successors for the Fifa crown. Or... whatever it is Fifa Presidents are handed. A scythe? A pitch fork?

Brazilian midfield icon Zico is the latest addition to the auditions stage. Will he make it to boot camp? Find out in the next episode of "I'm an investigated Fifa official - balls, what do you mean I can't leave?"

18:45

A new challenger approaches:

18:40

While we rid ourselves of the image of that self indulgent, hilariously unaware standing ovation that Sepp Blatter received earlier, let's remember that the Champions League final is this Saturday. The reason to remember this most is that Xavi will play his last game for Barcelona. If ever someone was deserving of a standing ovation, it is the greatest midfielder of a generation, and you can watch the ovation he gets from teammates here.

He's off to Qatar... oh hang on.

18:35

America, the greatest football defence since AC Milan 1995, believe Sepp Blatter's resignation is a good thing. Associated Press:

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says FIFA president Sepp Blatter's resignation is an opportunity for soccer's governing body to improve its public image and ensure its actions are consistent with its mission. He says decisions about how to do that must be left up to members of FIFA.

The White House has carefully avoided weighing in on the ongoing FIFA scandal amid the ongoing U.S. federal investigation into soccer corruption. Earnest said he had no special knowledge about the investigation and that prosecutors are operating independently.

18:29

If they'd just put even one of the discussions they didn't have with Qatar or Russia officials in United Passions, perhaps people wouldn't hate it so much

There are films with Nicolas Cage in them that are easier to watch. Actually if they'd cast Nic Cage it might have been better.

18:25

Feel free to email me with stories of your own personal investigations into Fifa by the way. joseph.bull@telegraph.co.uk is where to get me, or alternatively you could send a tweet to @jj_bull

18:23

If the World Cups in 2018 and 2022 have to be chosen all over again, who's ready to host them? I'll tell you who! Well I won't, but this video will.

18:20

But amid all of this madness, let's remember that Sepp Blatter received a ten minute long standing ovation from 400 people this morning. Do they know what's happening there? They know this isn't like prohibition in the 20s and those darn fun police aren't taking all of their friends away for no reason, right? From AFP:

About 400 staff at the FIFA headquarters applauded the 79-year-old Swiss official the day after Blatter announced he would step down.

"There was a long ovation lasting several minutes and Mr Blatter was very emotional," a FIFA spokesman told AFP

18:15

More on the FBI's investigation into those Fifa officials arrested last week from AFP:

The United States has still not sent extradition demands for seven FIFA officials arrested last week in a Zurich hotel, a Swiss judicial spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Americans have until July 3 to demand extradition of the seven - including FIFA vice-presidents Jeffrey Webb and Eugenio Figueredo - over allegations they were involved in accepting more than $150 million in bribes.

The detained men could then face up to six months behind bars awaiting the decision of a Swiss court.

"We have not yet received formal extradition demands; we will release a statement when it happens," said justice ministry spokesman Folco Gallia.

The septet, who have all said they will contest extradition, can apply for bail but it is rarely permitted if the accused are considered flight risks.All seven are from outside Switzerland.

18:12

Blatter does know what resigning is... doesn't he?

18:10

Journalist Gerry Cox has written a rather interesting piece on his involvement in Blatter's downfall. You can read it here. But come back obviously. I'll miss you. It includes paragraphs like this:

Expecting to get to a senior press officer, I was shocked but pleasantly surprised to be ushered into a huge suite, where sitting at his desk was the familiar face.

“Aah, Mr Cox. I’ve been expecting you,” Blatter said, although disappointingly he was not stroking a white cat.

"I know the Telegraph very well and am always happy to speak to the English papers. But this match is about to start. If you would care to join me for tea, we can speak at half-time."

18:05

*BONG* We're now into the world of post-6pm and we still don't know anything more about Chuck Blazer (other than that he once dressed up as a pirate). I'm still hunting for more information to feed you with.

18:00

The Associated Press says:

World players' union FIFPro wants FIFA to publish all documents linked to Sepp Blatter's decision to resign.

The union says there should be "full accountability to the players and all other stakeholders, including the fans, who have been made to suffer by the crisis of confidence enveloping FIFA as football's global governing body."

FIFPro said it hoped that a reform of soccer's governing body would also see an end to rules that limit players' employment rights, a longstanding demand of the union.

17:56

Whoever was speaking to him should have asked what the noise in the background was.

"What noise?"

"It sounds like... paper being shredded?"

"Oh yes, that's uhh... the lawnmower. We like to mow inside sometimes."

"In your office?"

"Yes the carpet needs a trim. NO FURTHER QUESTIONS."

17:55

It would be interesting to know what Vladimir Putin was thinking right now, or ever actually. Earlier today his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said:

Cooperation with Fifa is going on and, most importantly, Russia is continuing preparations for the 2018 World Cup

17:42

That quote in full, just to prove I'm not making it up, is from an interview with France Info radio station:

I have nothing to blame myself for and I certainly do not feel guilty so I do not even have to justify my innocence.

17:40

Just to add to that Jerome Valcke quote from earlier, his explanation as to why he is so confused about the corruption accusations is brilliant:

I don't feel guilty.

17:38

German FA chief Wolfgang Niersbach says it's "extremely problematic" that new FIFA president might not be elected until next spring

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) June 3, 2015

17:35

The FBI's global law enforcing reach is certainly impressive. When (as surely and hopefully they do) they finally get to the bottom of this Fifa can of worms it's going to be fascinating to find out how they got there.

17:34

Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah continued to say:

It is very difficult for some to digest that an Arab Islamic country has this tournament, as if this right can't be for an Arab state.

17:30

Earlier, the Qatari foreign minister told Reuters that there is "no way" Qatar will be stripped of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Qatar is honest and confident it has done nothing wrong, and the bashing campaign against Qatar is based on prejudice and racism.

17:25

This in from Reuters:

The FBI’s investigation of soccer governing body FIFA includes scrutiny of how the organization awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 competition to Qatar, a US law enforcement official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the review of the awards to host the tournament would be part of a probe that is looking beyond the allegations in an indictment announced a week ago of officials of world soccer’s governing body.

Swiss prosecutors said then that they were investigating the 2018 and 2022 bids.

17:20

Apart from all of the actual journalism The Telegraph has conducted as part of the Fifa scandal, back in August last year we conducted a not very serious investigation into controversy surrounding the awarding of the Qatar World Cup. This must have been what gave the FBI the idea

17:15

The gift that keeps on giving. Like a pinata full of crime:

17:13

This could be huge. We don't know exactly what these investigations entail - the FBI tends to be fairly secretive - but this could have massive repercussions on the football world. If you're reading, hello Mr Putin!

17:07

Wow. So that's er... pretty exciting. The FBI vs Russia vs Qatar

17:05

More news!

17:00

Here's a reminder of the actual Presidential candidates:

16:55

National Geographic promotional stunt or dark Fifa metaphor?

^{PHOTO: MARK MACHADO}

16:50

So far only David Ginola has officially thrown his name into the ring as a candidate to be the next Fifa President. Prince Ali (fabulous he) is believed to be trying to work out a way to become President immediately, seeing as how he so narrowly missed out in an impossible election last time. Michel Platini is the odds on favourite and bookies are never wrong. Except for when they are.

Let's pretend for a minute that your own opinion really matters:

16:45

Some actual news has arrived:

16:42

I think I want to work for Fifa. Look how much fun Chuck Blazer has had

16:38

Why are the FBI investigating Chuck Blazer? Because they AAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHH

Pirate jokes.

16:35

Perhaps the first place the FBI may have gone while investigating Chuck Blazer is his blogspot page. What they would have found there is anyone's guess since he stopped writing on it in 2012 and it looks like it belongs in the 90s

16:30

16:27

Everyone's going to be really disappointed when it turns out the Garcia Report is just a bunch of drawings and "do pretend writing" on every page.

16:18

We do know for certain that Russia really don't want the World Cup to be taken away from them and that shareprices in Qatar have gone a bit weird after all the commotion. Those might be up in the air at the moment, but at least the 2026 World Cup hosts have nothing to worry about. You know, the one that's being held in Macclesfield?

16:14

Update: We still have no updates on what Chuck Blazer has been saying

16:08

Hello everyone, JJ here! What an exciting nearly 24 hours we've had. That iconic photograph of Sepp Blatter exiting through a door of light is one we'll remember for a long, long, long time.

The photographer who took it has revealed how he set up the shot! It's genuinely a very entertaining read.

That is my gift to you at this time.

16.00

Right, that's my little stint done. On hand to take over from me is the one and only JJ Bull... hopefully he'll be able to tell you what Chuck Blazer told the Feds.

15.52

French publication Le Monde has some questions for Platini to answer before he can be considered a viable Blatter replacement.

1) Qatar 2022 vote. 2) US indictment says Warner obtained bribes for France 1998 bid.

15.50

Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke could find himself under renewed scrutiny after it emerged that his son is working for Brazil's football federation.

Reports have surfaced in the Brazilian media that Sebastien Valcke has been working for the Confederacao Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) since September.

According to ESPN Brasil, Valcke junior arrived in Brazil in 2013 during the country's World Cup preparations and worked for Fifa during the tournament as coordinator at the Maracana.

Valcke was then given a job as marketing consultant at the CBF in September, when Jose Maria Marin – one of the men arrested in last week's raids in Switzerland – was still president of the organisation. He is said to earn around R$10,000 (£2,100) per month.

A spokesperson confirmed that Valcke junior is employed by the CBF but denied that there was any conflict of interest.

15.45

Slightly overboard me thinks...

15.40

Hordes of journalists outside Fifa headquarters are sunbathing or taking shade from the baking sun in Zurich, waiting for more news.

About 100 journalists, including TV crews, have set up camp outside the complex on a tree-lined avenue. One group even had a pizza delivered to them.

Reporters were restricted to asking a group of schoolchildren who had been training inside on Wednesday whether they had seen Blatter. The children just giggled.

15.35

Venezuela's president Nicolas Maduro has a few suggestions for who should replace Blatter, but his favourite is... Diego Maradona! Good grief!

15.25

A fair point?

15.20

Interpol are after two of the big cheeses in the Fifa scandal. The Press Association's Martyn Ziegler has some help...

15.10

Confederation of African Football president Issa Hayatou - a huuuuuuge supporter of Blatter - has spoken about why he wanted the Swiss to continue.

Remember, Blatter had long courted African support (and their 54 votes in the Fifa congress) by investing millions in stadiums, facilities and handshakes.

"What made us support Sepp Blatter, is that he has truly helped the African continent," said Hayatou, on arrival in Cameroon from Switzerland today. "By allocating this 2010 World Cup, by the various training courses he organised, by the various sporting facilities constructed. All of this rallied the continent to support his cause."

15.05

While Blatter’s exit is being celebrated by his critics, finding the right replacement will not be easy. Uefa boss Michel Platini is one of the favourites, but do we really want a man at the helm who voted for Qatar?

Listen to this... back in 2011, Fifa commissioned a reform group led by Mark Pieth to improve corporate governance following Blatter's previous election victory, when his only rival quit amid vote-buying claims. A year earlier, accusations of graft were made against officials who chose Russia and Qatar to be World Cup hosts.

Platini was among the first to acknowledge that he voted for Qatar, the world’s richest country per capita. The decision continues to roil world soccer as claims of impropriety over the World Cup votes linger.

"He is the favorite from the inside," Pieth said of Platini. "He has some formidable skeletons in the cupboard, and not just Qatar."

15.00

Fair play to the BBC, they've managed to track Pele down in Cuba just to get his thoughts:

I want to see football put people together, stop the war. That's my position because football put people together. What happened with the corruption, this is not my problem. Everything in life changes, football changes, life changes, it's important to have people who are honest to organise anything

14.50

German Chancellor Angela Merkel - she loves her footie - has hailed the resignation of Blatter as a "step to help restore transparency".

I think that for... billions of football fans it is an important message for all of us who like football - and I, too, am a fan - that the world football organisation can be run according to the standards we wish for

While sourcing pictures of Merkel, I located this little beauty... it's the world's leaders watching Chelsea beat Bayern!

14.45

For the finance boffins or stock market investors who might be reading this live blog, this may be of interst to you... Qatar's stock market closed nearly flat on Wednesday after a brief, sharp sell-off triggered by Blatter's surprise resignation from Fifa, which could raise the risk of Doha losing the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

Most stocks fell in a wave of selling by local retail investors shortly after the market opened, with the Doha index sliding as much as 3.2 per cent to a seven-week low.

The government is pouring billions of dollars into preparations to host the Cup; any disruption to that spending could potentially hurt the bottom lines of real estate companies and banks.

14.40

Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill has been asked for his views on Blatter and Fifa (warning, the first bit is pointless, the second reasonably interesting):

I would say essentially the same as most other people. There's been a lot of pressure in the last couple of days heaped on him, and he has made that decision. I wouldn't know the ins and outs of what's happening - I'm just a general reader like everyone else - but there was a lot of pressure on him and he has made that decision, so there will be a change at the top of FIFA. Again, I probably don't really know enough, there's no point in me just following the sheep and going along with it. But there is a change here and it looks from a distance as if things had to change at some stage

However, amid speculation over the future of the 2018 World Cup finals, which are scheduled to take place in Russia, he adds:

From a Russian viewpoint, if you have put things in place when FIFA, regardless of who was in charge, have made that decision and obviously taken a lot of time to get preparations in place, I think Russia would be particularly disappointed if this was taken away if that was the case. But there again, there might be a lot of legal implications as well as everything else. But usually you get some time to prepare for these things and Russia have known about this for a little while now, so they would be particularly disappointed

14.35

The Washington Post have done this... errr... piece on Andrew Jennings - the investigative reporter who helped topple Blatter. The headline reads 'How a curmudgeonly old reporter exposed the FIFA scandal that toppled Sepp Blatter'.

The piece continues... 'The biggest news story of the year was breaking, but the journalist responsible was fast asleep. It was just after dawn on May 27 when Andrew Jennings’s phone began ringing. Swiss police had just launched a startling raid on a luxury hotel in Zurich, arresting seven top FIFA officials and charging them and others with running a $150 million racket. The world was stunned. The waking world, that is. If Jennings had bothered to climb out of bed, he wouldn’t have been surprised at the news'.

Sounds to be a bit like the American's don't like sharing the glory...

14.30

Afternoon all. Looks like Vicki has mopped up all the good stuff but for anyone that's interested... South Korea's former Fifa vice-president Chung Mong-Joon has said he will "carefully consider" whether to run for the presidency.

The 61-year-old billionaire heir to South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate served on Fifa's executive committee from 1994 to 2011.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: "I will make my decision after meeting with international football leaders and listening to their opinions."

14.25

Well it's time for me to hand over to my colleague Giles Mole who will continue to bring you the latest developments and reaction. We're still awaiting the testimony from Chuck Blazer which could offer clues as to why Blatter has made the decision to stand down now so please stay tuned.

14.12

It was back to work for Blatter this morning less than 24 hours after announcing he was to stand down.

Blatter spoke to Fifa staff for about 10 minutes, returning to the same auditorium where he delivered his resignation speech a day earlier. Staff described him as being emotional, and said he received a standing ovation.

While Fifa have been dealing with the ongoing crisis it hasn't been all fun and games for the FA back here. Oh no, they've had to deal with the tricky situation of Jack Wilshere mocking Spurs during Arsenal's open-top bus FA Cup celebrations. Yes, really.

13.56

Change. No-one really likes change that much. When you get a new boss you're always wary of how it's going to affect you and your daily workings. Yet the removal, sorry, the resignation of Blatter has seen plenty of nods of heads rather than any fears of what change could mean for them.

Well Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has offered his heartfelt thoughts on Blatter's departure and says he doesn't want to "experiment".

"Blatter feels Africa, he sees Africa and he has imparted so much," he said.

"What Blatter pushes is equity, fairness and equality among the nations. We don't want to experiment."

13.42

Police have told gathered reporters they are expecting a pro Palestinian protest.

13.39

BREAKING: There's media scrum outside Fifa HQs.

13.29

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch has refused to answer whether Sepp Blatter is under investigation.

"We are not able to comment further at this point," Lynch said at talks in Riga with her EU counterparts when asked if Blatter was under investigation.

"We will now be speaking through the courts," Lynch said ominously. "The investigation is ongoing."

^{No comment}

13.20

Go Sepp go. Or was it just go now please Sepp your number is up?

13.15

The 2018 World Cup Russia Local Organising Committee Media Office have issued a statement in regards to Blatter's resignation. It doesn't say a great deal, although reading between the lines perhaps it's more of a 'PLEASE DON'T TAKE THE WORLD CUP AWAY FROM US' plea.

These are some of their actual words.

In 2018 the Fifa World Cup will be held for the first time on the territory of the world’s largest country. The Russia 2018 LOC will continue to work closely with Fifa towards this goal on a daily basis. We will sustain all our efforts to provide and ensure the highest level of organisation for the guests and participants of the tournament and deliver a great festival of football to all fans. The exciting journey to the Fifa World Cup in Russia will soon see its next milestone with the upcoming

p

reliminary draw that is to take place in Saint Petersburg on July 25 this year.​

13.08

Could Prince Ali be installed as a sort of caretaker manager before the presidential elections are re-run later this year?

Sky sources close to Prince Ali of Jordan: "actively investigating" whether FIFA rules allow him to become President without new election

— Tom Rayner (@RaynerSkyNews) June 3, 2015

Currently, the bookies have Uefa president Michel Platini as the 11/8 favourite to replace Blatter with Prince Ali second favourite at 6/4. Greg Dyke, meanwhile, is an outside bet at 50/1.

Meanwhile, another bookie (I'm sure you don't need me to tell you know) are offering some 'Blatter Specials' which has 10/1 on the outgoing president to go to jail.

12.52

The press conference comes to an end after a good hour and a half of denials from Mbalula. The media surround the table where the sports minister was sitting to throw in a few final questions. "Where was the picture of you presenting Jack Warner with the money" and so on and so on.

12.36

Here's a recap of the stand out comments made by Mbalula.

• The fact a payment of $10m was made to an approved programme above board does not equate to bribery.
• Those who allege should prove their allegations.
• We refuse to be caught up in a battle of the United States authorities and Fifa
• Our purpose and intent is to ensure that we respond to the allegations levelled at our country, government and its citizens.
• We categorically deny that our country and government have bribed anyone to secure the rights to the 2010 World Cup.

^{Fikile Mbalula says a $10m payment was made to Fifa, but it was above board}

12.23

Back to the South African Football Association press conference where sports minister Fikile Mbalula has been digging himself a hole.

12.22

The Russian press are fearing what the implications of Blatter's resignation will not reflect well on the country's right to host the 2018 World Cup.

"They hit Fifa but aimed at Russia," said the front page headline of 'Argumenty I Fakty' weekly.

"It's obvious that the campaign against Fifa, which has been initiated by the United States and Britain, is 99 per cent based on politics and only one per cent on the criminal case, which has been suggested as its main reason," Russia's lower house of parliament's deputy speaker Igor Lebedev told the paper.

"The worsening of the relations between Russia and the West has been the true reason for it.

"They currently use the every single opportunity to hurt our country, to damage it as much as possible."

'Rossiiskaya Gazeta' daily also blamed the United States for Blatter's resignation.

"Americans have never abandoned their attempts to overthrow the persons they dislike.

"It seems that nobody will even know what was Blatter's weak point. But it's obvious that it was a hit below the belt."

Here's the rest of our world's media round-up - with France daily sports paper L'Equipe going for the jugular with their 'CORNERED' headline.

12.06

Our football correspondent Jason Burt has issued a memo to Fifa over their next presidential election - no stale, male and pale candidates to replace Blatter.

In fact, he has thrown a new name into the ring - step forward George Weah.

Whoever comes in has to do so on an anti-corruption, reforming ticket and support the notion of the presidency being limited to two terms of office.

So, what about George Weah? Africa was fundamentally wrong to support Blatter and Weah was part of that support. “I am pro-Blatter,” he was quoted as saying in the French media. “The positives outweigh the negatives.”

11.58

Mbalula says South Africa has no intention of interfering in the US's investigation but they must produce some proof to their allegations.

11.54

Here's the latest from our African correspondent Aislinn Laing on 'that' payment to Jack Warner.

11.46

"We still need US authorities to share with us the basis of their allegations," Mbalula goes on to say.

As yet there's been no mention of why they requested $10m to be paid to Jack Warner.

11.43

Mbalula adds: "The government of South Africa has not paid anyone to secure the rights of the 2010 World Cup"

11.41

Sports minister Fikile Mbalula says South Africa did not take any bribes in return for 2010 World Cup.

11.38

The South Africa Football Association press conference is now under way. I'll try and give you the stand-out news from what looks to be a farce of a conference following the no-shows of any of the FA officials.

11.30

Sierra Leone Football Association president Isha Johansen has said she is sorry to see "father figure" Blatter leave in the manner that he has.

“I'm disappointed that he’s had to leave under the circumstances that are now unfolding, but there is also the feeling of relief as well.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about the game. It’s not about one person. Fifa’s not Blatter. Blatter’s not Fifa.

“Blatter finds himself in a situation where it’s one thing after the other coming out and whether he can defend, whether he can’t defend, whether his people has let him down.

“I think he needs to rise above it and, as any good leader would do, step down for the sake of football.

“It is becoming overwhelming. These allegations and the circus around football has just taken over football itself.”

Johansen added how Blatter has been "good for the African continent" and "good for African football growth".

“Africa respects him for that. ‘Owes’ him? I don’t think is probably the right word.”

11.17

South African Football Association officials will NO LONGER be appearing at the press conference. The media gathered awaiting the conference which was due to get underway at 11 have been informed that only sports minister Fikile Mbalula and members of the 2010 World Cup local organising committee will attend but only the minister will speak.

It means organising committee chairman Irvin Khoza and high profile chief executive officer Danny Jordaan have yet to address allegations that the South African bid team agreed a $10 million inducement to former Jack Warner and other CONCACAF members in return for their votes.

Mbalula has already held a press conference in the last days to deny any wrong dong on the part of the South African government - which leads to the question: What's the point?

11.10

We're just waiting for the South African Football Association news conference where they will discuss allegations relating to alleged payments for the 2010 World Cup. You can follow our live stream at the top of this blog.

11.01

Former FA chairman David Bernstein has offered his take on Blatter staying until his successor is appointed and likened Blatter to an Alien, good work, good work.

It reminds me of that film, Alien. You could not get the alien out of that spaceship, no matter how hard you tried. And when, in the end, they did get it out, they found that it was clinging on to the outside. This man somehow can't help himself. He will cling on to the last moment. It's partly for him to control what comes after him, which is the last thing that we need.

"It desperately needs a fresh temporary person to handle this transitionary period, which will need handling very, very carefully. Blatter's now the last person who should be doing that. I also think they should find a way of holding the election sooner rather than later. Whatever their regulations are, to hold it in six or eight months' time is much too far away. I think they should do everything they can to hold it in the next three months."

Bernstein has also been asked whether England should bid again for the 2018 World Cup if the bid is re-run.

"If Blatter was in the seat while this was done, frankly, I wouldn't bother, because I think he'll do everything he can to make sure we didn't get it.

"But if there was a degree of confidence in the process then, yes, I do think we should go for it. Ours was always a very good bid and, on a level playing field, we'd have a reasonable chance."

Bernstein also said he would consider rejoining Fifa's anti-racism task force once Blatter leaves provided he was convinced it was "a genuine body and not a bit of a charade".

10.58

While Greg Dyke ruled England out of bidding for the 2022 World Cup if the vote is re-opened, he also raised questions over what impact Blatter staying on in power until a successor is appointed will have.

Anyone who’s left a big organisation knows the day you say you’re going, you’ve gone, and there’s not a chance you’ll be able to do that.

“The reforms that are needed are actually so significant that I doubt he could do them anyway. I think you need a fundamental change in the organisation.

“The first thing I would do is send in the forensic accountant, because I want to find out where the money had come from and where has gone it, because I suspect a lot of it has gone to the wrong places.”

10.47

Blatter made the call to stand down for the good of his family, according to his daughter Corinne Blatter Andenmatten.

So 17 years later having reigned at the top of one of the world's most powerful organisations in sport, Blatter has decided it's time to step back and enjoy days out with the family again.

“My father is my father. He is a great man,” Corinne Blatter Andenmatten told Switzerland's Blick newspaper. “With this decision he wanted most of all to protect us, protect his family,” she said.

“His decision has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the accusations that are circulating.

“My father is an honest man who has dedicated his life to football.

"I hope peace is restored now for my father and for world football,” she added.

^{Corinne Blatter pictured with her father Sepp Blatter}

10.40

Andrew Hedger has thrown another candidate into the hat to become the next president. Actually, it's three figures rolled into one.

Surely Prince William assisted by David Beckham & Simon Cowell would be the dream ticket for the new Presidential role...

10.31

And the 2026 World Cup has been awarded to MACCLESFIELD. Well at least someone is having a bit of fun with the ugly goings on at Fifa. They've even gone to the trouble of drawing up their very own slogan. Never say never, though. I mean, I had a dream once that Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament. Imagine that?

10.27

Uefa leader Michel Platini has called off this weekend's meeting in Berlin to discuss the Fifa crisis because of the "uncertain and unpredictable" developments surrounding football's world body.

It is with great concern that I, like most football fans around the world, have been following the daily developments regarding the investigations pertaining to Fifa corruption matters. Due to yesterday’s announcement and the uncertain and unpredictable nature of the investigations, I have decided that it would be more appropriate to postpone the meeting that was announced last week, and which could have taken place in Berlin this weekend.

Considering new information is revealed every day, I believe it is wiser to take time to assess the situation, so together we can take a position on this issue. There will be other opportunities for us to meet in the coming weeks and by then hopefully more light will have been shed on this matter. During the weekend in Berlin, we will aim to focus our attention on one of many great occasions at Uefa, the Uefa Champions League final.”

10.22

Just to make it clear concerning the Interpol Red Notices - they are NOT, I repeat NOT an arrest warrant.

• Interpol cannot compel any member country to arrest the subject of a Red Notice.

• Only the law enforcement authorities of the Interpol member country where the individual is located have the legal authority to make an arrest.

10.11

Telegraph reader Andrew McNeilis makes a fair point.

Your voting widget would gain a clear winner if you added NOTA- none of the above.

...and this from Stephen Nelson.

Much huffing and puffing from Fifa sponsors, strutting the moral high ground is good PR. None of them will actually pull out though because the World Cup is a gold mine - and the root cause of all the corruption is and always has been money, billions of it.

09.51

So who do you want to see replace Blatter if when he goes? Here are the list of runners and riders and please vote in our poll.

09.36

Fifa executive committee member Kozo Tashima, who joined on Friday, has urged Sepp Blatter to step down before his successor is decided and called on him to explain himself if the rumours are true that he now too is under investigation by the FBI.

“At the ExCo meeting, he spoke glowingly about how he had been given a new mandate and at the time, he looked like he was raring to go again,” Tashima said. “But I’m shocked to see him change the way he has in the two days since, and I can’t stop myself from asking what has happened.

“There were no charges against Mr. Blatter himself, only rumors. But if there is something that’s forced him to resign, he has an obligation to explain himself. He cannot be allowed to leave things as fuzzy as they are, and it’s a kind of a farce now for him to stay in office for the next six months or however long it takes to decide the new president.

“There’s no reason for him to resign if there’s nothing on him,” he continued. “But if there is something on him then you could make the argument that he shouldn’t be allowed to stay on a moment longer."

Blatter should not be the only one having to offer an explanation. Tashima wants his right-hand man, secretary general Jerome Valcke, has been tied to a $10 million transfer used as a bribe in the bid for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa to come clean.

"Common sense dictates that it's just not normal for $10 million to be switching hands the way it supposedly did," Tashima said. "If it is a fact that Mr. Valcke did transfer $10 million, then he needs to offer a thorough explanation."

09.20

Telegraph reader Tim Escott has a suggestion for the way ahead for Fifa and future presidents.

Clearly, one of the core changes that needs to occur is to the way in which the

l

eadership is elected and World Cups are granted.

The one vote per Football Association system is clearly open to abuse. This system has opened the door to the bribery and nepotism that we've seen for years at Fifa.

Each FA should be granted a number of votes weighted according to the number of 'professional' football teams within the jurisdiction. 'Professional' could be, for example, those clubs eligible to compete in the World Clubs competition. In a stroke, this approach removes any incentive to bribe and coerce the smaller, pliable Football Associations.

Such a system would of course mean that the very small countries and principalities would receive the lowest possible weighting. I do not propose this because I live in a strong footballing nation but because it is the fair and reasonable thing to do. It can only lead to healthy competition between nations to build and enhance their local football league.

09.13

BREAKING NEWS: INTERPOL Red Notices – or international wanted persons alerts – have been issued for two former Fifa officials and four corporate executives for charges including racketeering conspiracy and corruption.

They have been issued for....(drum roll please...)

Jack Warner (needs no introduction). Nicolás Leoz (needs no introduction). Argentina's Alejandro Burzaco, controlling principal of Torneos y Competencias S.A., a sports marketing business. Hugo Jinkis and Mariano Jinkis, controlling principals of Full Play Group S.A., a sports marketing business based in Argentina. José Margulies (also known as José Lazaro), a Brazilian national, controlling principal of Valente Corp and Somerton Ltd, broadcasting businesses.

08.55

Fifa sponsors Cola-Cola, Budweiser and Adidas have welcomed Blatter’s decision to step down as president.

Visa, a sponsor that was highly critical of the revelations and threatened pull out of its deal, said the move was "a significant first step", adding that it was "encouraged by the recognition by Fifa that extensive and fundamental reform is needed".

But it added caution and urged further reform. "It is our expectation that Fifa will take swift and immediate steps towards addressing the issues within its organization to quickly rebuild a culture with strong ethical practices," Visa said.

08.33

Greg Dyke has been talking on the Today programme and reiterated that England won't bid for the 2022 if the bid is reopened.

The FA Chairman said: "I think it would be pretty certain it wouldn't come to Europe - you wouldn't have two successive World Cups in Europe.

"So I would say it would be most likely to go to America, who were the runners up."

08.21

BREAKING: Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy has said the race for the 2022 World Cup was "not clean" and he has shared what he knows with authorities.

"We ran a clean bid. I know that others did not, and I have shared what I know with the authorities, including Michael Garcia who undertook a two-year investigation into the 2022 World Cup bid," he said in an open letter.

Australia was vying for the 2022 tournament, which was awarded to Qatar, along with the United States, Japan and South Korea. It secured only one vote.

08.07

Patrick Beames has got in touch on email making this point:

Blatter's resignation, while welcome, is only one small link in the chain that needs to be broken if Fifa is to be properly reformed and become an open, accountable and transparent organisation. There will be a lot of resistance to change by those who see their place on the gravy train threatened and the process of change may well be a lengthy one - if, indeed, substantive change is what happens.

Platini is said to be favourite to take over. My problem with him is that he's already a big part of the Fifa machinery, is a close personal friend of Blatter and he voted for Qatar 2022. I know it won't happen, but I'd have preferred a complete new broom for the job - someone with no axe to grind and no current connection whatsoever to any football organisation. Someone with the profile to command respect and authority who would quickly identify and drive through the changes needed without being hampered by old allegiances and enmities.

07.47

Here's the view from our chief football correspondent Henry Winter on the latest twist at Fifa HQ.

Blatter ran Fifa as a fiefdom. In the art and craft of staying in power, the Swiss lawyer proved the arch-politician, Blackadder with cowbells on. He focused on Asia and Africa, delivering investment with far more urgency than Uefa nations, and reaped the reward of the support of the Confederation of African Football and the Asian Football Confederation when the Fifa hustings took place.

07.22

How long do you give it before someone with too much time on their hands reworks Craig David's 2000 summer smash 'Seven Days' and uses the shift made by Sepp Blatter over the last few days. I just don't have the time to be so creative, but here's a rundown of how he went from zero to zero.

Thursday:

I cannot monitor everyone all of the time. If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. But it must fall to me to bear the responsibility for the reputation and well-being of our organisation and to find a way forward to fix things. The next few months will not be easy for Fifa. But it is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organisation.

Friday:

You can’t ask everyone to behave ethically just like that. I like my job. I am not perfect. Nobody is perfect. But we will do a good job together, I’m sure. I thank you so much for the confidence, together we go. Let’s go Fifa. Let’s go Fifa.

Saturday:

I forgive everyone but I don't forget. Not only did they try to denigrate me but also they used the moment to say, 'This is the time to go'. Then it was said, 'We are going to boycott the congress'. But where are we? Where is the sportsmanship? There are signs that cannot be ignored. The Americans were the candidates for the World Cup of 2022 and they lost. The English were the candidates for 2018 and they lost, so it was really the English media and the American movement.If they have a financial crime that regards American citizens, then they must arrest these people there and not in Zurich when we have a congress in Zurich. The United States, it is the main sponsors of Hashemite kingdom [Jordan].

Tuesday:

I have been reflecting deeply about my presidency and about the forty years in which my life has been inextricably bound to Fifa and the great sport of football. I cherish Fifa more than anything and I want to do only what is best for Fifa and for football. I felt compelled to stand for re-election, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organisation. That election is over but Fifa's challenges are not. Fifa needs a profound overhaul. While I have a mandate from the membership of Fifa, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football - the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at Fifa.

06.55

We could have more answers to why Blatter opted to announcement his decision to stand down with the testimony of Chuck Blazer expected to be released later.

The former Fifa executive helped FBI investigators after being approached by US authorities over large unpaid tax bills. A US judge has approved the release of the transcript from the 2013 hearing in which Blazzer pleads guilty to corruption charges.

06.35

Morning all and welcome to coverage of the fallout and reaction to yesterday's shock announcement from Sepp Blatter that he will be stepping down as Fifa president - when an extraordinary elective congress will be called to appoint his successor.

Why now, has been the predominant question as to why Blatter has made the call to resign just four days after being re-elected for a fifth term.

Reports in the United States say Blatter himself is being investigated by the FBI in connection with the disclosure of a letter confirming a 10million US dollar payment was made via FIFA's executive office to disgraced executive Jack Warner.

After another crazy 14 or so hours which has seen the Fifa crisis take yet another gigantic twist, here's a recap of what has happened so far.

• Blatter is reportedly under investigation by FBI in connection with $10m payment made to Jack Warner

• Blatter resigns four days after being re-elected but will remain in charge until a new president is elected

• The South African Football Association denies bribing Fifa officials to help secure the 2010 World Cup

• Jerome Valcke, Fifa's secretary general and Blatter's No 2, denies having authorised the $10million payment as he was unable to do so

• A letter from the South African FA addressed to Valcke emerges and seems to prove otherwise

• David Ginola is genuinely running for President and here are the other candidates

If you want to get in touch with your thoughts and ideas on how Fifa can move forward, feel free to drop me an email at vicki.hodges@telegraph.co.uk

And if you need a more detailed recap of the goings on over the last 14-16 hours, well have a read of our Sepp Blatter quits live blog.