Sepp Blatter resists quit calls, top ally resigns

 FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Thursday ruled out a European Parliament demand for him to quit immediately, but one of his top lieutenants did resign from the embattled organisation.

Blatter, who resigned last week despite being re-elected as head of football’s world governing body, which has been consumed by an ever-widening corruption probe, intends to continue in office until a successor is designated, probably by the end of the year.

“FIFA is perplexed by the European Parliament’s resolution,” <g data-gr-id="32">a FIFA</g> spokesman said.

“As is well known, following his re-election, the FIFA President already decided, owing to the special circumstances in which FIFA finds itself, to lay down his mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress.”

The European Parliament had called on Blatter to step down immediately and allow for an interim leader to launch reforms in global football’s governing body.

In a show of hands, members of parliament overwhelmingly voted for the resolution in Strasbourg, France.

The FIFA spokesman added: “The President is focused on ensuring that at this Congress, which he is demanding, imperative reforms are passed and a new President elected.”

The date for that congress will be set at an executive committee meeting in Zurich on July 20.

Meanwhile, FIFA director of communications and public affairs Walter De Gregorio resigned from his position with immediate effect.

Nicolas Maingot, his deputy, has been named as an interim replacement for De Gregorio.

De Gregorio, who FIFA said will continue to serve “on a consultancy basis” until the end of the year, had been in the position since 2011 and was present when Blatter announced his resignation on June 2. 

Walter has worked incredibly hard for the past four years and we are immensely grateful for all he has done. I am glad we will be able to continue to draw on his expertise until the end of the year,” FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said in the statement.

Some media reports suggested that De Gregorio had fallen on his sword after making a joke about the FIFA crisis on Swiss TV.

It was claimed De Gregorio joked to an interviewer: “The FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, the director of communications and the general secretary are all sitting in a car -- who is driving? The police.”