Blatter should stay on as FIFA President: Valcke

Saturday, 22 June 2013 06:37 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: FIFA President Sepp Blatter’s chances of remaining in office after 2015 have increased dramatically after FIFA Secretary-General Jerome Valcke urged him to stay in the job. Valcke was asked if he would be standing as FIFA president and after laughing off that suggestion by saying he had a World Cup to organise, he said Blatter should change his mind about stepping down. “Why change a winning team, a good team?” Valcke told a news conference.

“The current President is very good and why should he not run again? Why should he not stay as the FIFA President as he is doing a great job?” The 77-year-old Swiss has been President since 1998 and was given a four-year mandate in 2011, saying at the time he intended to leave the post at the end of it. But in January he dropped the first hints about staying on and Valcke’s public announcement at a conference linked to the Confederations Cup is the strongest indication yet that he will. His main rival for the position appears to be UEFA President Michel Platini, but the Frenchman has been guarded about his future plans and has never said whether he wants to run for the position.