'We thought we were in the clear' and other interesting Sepp Blatter quotes

'We thought we were in the clear' and other interesting Sepp Blatter quotes
By Euronews with FIFA
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“Let the women play in more feminine clothes, like they do in volleyball. They could, for example, have tighter shorts.” Sepp Blatter’s statements

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“Let the women play in more feminine clothes, like they do in volleyball. They could, for example, have tighter shorts.”

Sepp Blatter’s statements often become talking points. For example, the one above dates back to 2004, yet is still referred to in 2015.

Today, it seems, was just another day in the office for the FIFA chief.

After FIFA’s ethics committee landed him and UEFA boss Michel Platini with an eight-year ban on involvement in international football, he had some interesting things to say…

Sorry?

  • “I am sorry that I am still a punching ball… I am sorry for football, for FIFA, or the 400 + FIFA members,” he said with a large plaster across his right cheek.

#Blatter "I am sorry about me, how we are treated in this world."

— Catherine Hardy (@fernojay) December 21, 2015

Channelling his inner-leader…

  • “Nelson Mandela was speaking about humanity. Humanity is here we are in our world. Humanity needs no other thing but human beings being respected. I say that because celebrate humanity by football was the slogan of 2010 and was created by this great humanist Nelson Mandela. I say this today because I just received this news [of the ban]. Why the media have received the news before the persons involved. I don’t know.”

#blatter - evokes Nelson Mandela, humanity through football, "I heard the news after it was given to the media" live @euronews

— Catherine Hardy (@fernojay) December 21, 2015

  • “In 2010 we had a dream. We said we will open the World Cup to two terms. We had the idea that in 2018 the World Cup should go to a country that has never had the World Cup in Europe.”

A football ban doesn’t mean a ban from football…?

  • When asked whether he will still be allowed to attend football matches, his logic became difficult to follow.

“This does not apply,” he responded, before continuing with the example of referees, who are still able to go to watch games if they are banned.

A glass half full

  • “You can identify me as an optimist. We thought we had convinced the panel about the situation, the payment between the FIFA president and Michel Platini of an ongoing contract that was never terminated.

“We thought we were in the clear. We are in a so-called gentleman’s agreement. This was made in ’98 just after the World Cup when Platini approached me and said he would like to work for FIFA.

“He said ‘I am a very expensive man.’ I said ‘That’s OK. We cannot pay you now, we will pay you later.

“What astonished me is that they (the ethics committee) deny the existence of this agreement.”

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