Blatter dismisses calls for immediate stand-down

Embattled FIFA president Sepp Blatter has rejected calls from the European Parliament for him to stand down immediately, a FIFA spokesman said today.

Blatter, who resigned last week despite being re-elected as head of football's world governing body, intends to continue in office until a successor is designated, probably by the end of the year.

"FIFA is surprised at the European Parliament resolution," the spokesman said. "The FIFA president has already decided to bring an end to his mandate during an extraordinary electoral congress."

The European Parliament had earlier called on Blatter to step down immediately and allow for an interim leader to launch reforms in global football's governing body.
 

In a show of hands, members of parliament overwhelmingly voted for the resolution during a plenary session in Strasbourg, France.