FIFA chief Blatter gets fourth four-year term despite corruption scandal

Still, calls for a probe of the 2022 World Cup vote haven't ceased. “There is a considerable degree of suspicion that one cannot simply sweep aside, and I must expect that awarding this World Cup under these conditions needs to be examined anew," said Theo Zwanziger, the head of Germany’s football association Tuesday.

But Blatter disagrees. “What should we do? Nothing. The World Cup 2022 is not touched by that,” he said earlier this week when confronted with Valcke’s leaked e-mail.

In an effort to put the issue to rest, on Wednesday he proposed reforming how a World Cup host is selected. Blatter suggested that the general assembly of 208 member countries vote directly, instead of having an executive committee select the host as has been the case for over almost three decades.

Even before the explosive e-mail was leaked, FIFA had already been rocked by multiple corruption accusations over previous months of vote rigging, bribery, backstabbing, conspiracies, and coverups, including the banning last year of two top officials who put an $800,000 price tag on their vote to select the World Cup host.

The latest involved the heads of Asia’s and Central and North America's football associations and top FIFA executives. Bin Hammam and Jack Warner, from Trinidad and Tobago, were provisionally suspended from all their posts Sunday for allegedly offering $40,000 to each Caribbean federation for their vote.

Blatter was cleared by the same ethics committee that sidelined the two other officials, leaving him unopposed.

A rising chorus for reform

Cries to overhaul FIFA are coming even from outside the world of football.

“It is important you examine [corruption allegations] swiftly and take the necessary measures to reform your governance. It is of the utmost importance because your organization should be an example not only to young people but to the world at large,” Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey told FIFA delegates.

Four of FIFA’s most important sponsors, Coca Cola, Adidas, Visa, and Emirates Airlines, have also voiced their “concern” and asked for more transparency.

But Blatter appears to have come out stronger, with his speech on Wednesday interrupted by ovations. He has experience with corruption scandals, having survived accusations he bribed his way to win the first election in 1998.

What remains to be seen is whether Blatter will be able to block growing calls to probe Qatar’s selection. His legacy and perhaps even the future of "the beautiful game" could be at stake.

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