Football: Blatter defends stance on bribes case

ZURICH: Fifa President Sepp Blatter defended his stance on bribery after Swiss court documents accused his predecessor Joao Havelange of taking bribes. Court documents released revealed that Havelange, now 96 and Fifa president for 24 years before Blatter replaced him, pocketed at least £986,000. Blatter insisted he was powerless to sanction his predecessor and added that such payments were not illegal under Swiss law at the time. “The Swiss Federal Court has this week proven wrong all those people, who for years have accused me of having taken bribes,” said Blatter. “I’ve never taken nor received any bribes.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 16^th, 2012.