Sepp Blatter has tried to lift the spirits at Fifa headquarters after the suspension of his his right-hand-man, Jerome Valcke, the world governing body would withstand the latest wave of corruption allegations.
Blatter emailed more than 400 members of staff following Thursday night’s suspension of FIFA secretary general Valcke over accusations involving black market World Cup tickets
“Please be assured that FIFA remains confident of its ability to recover from the present difficult situation and to restore its reputation for the good of game,” Blatter wrote in the email seen by The Associated Press.
“I urge you all to continue your hard work to develop, promote and celebrate the game we love,” said Blatter, who is due to step down as FIFA president next February.
Valcke had been in talks with Fifa over a leaving settlement even before he was suspended, according to reports.
Last week, Valcke told reporters in Geneva of being disillusioned with working at FIFA headquarters, amid turmoil and uncertainty since American and Swiss investigations into corruption were revealed on May 27.
