FIFA chief announces his resignation

FIFA chief Sepp Blatter finally bowed to his opposition.

At a press conference earlier today, Blatter announced his decision to resign from his position as president of FIFA, socccer’s world governing body. Elections will be held again sometime between December and March.

“FIFA needs a profound restructuring,” Blatter said.

His reelection on Friday produced a heavy backlash. There were rumors the UEFA, soccer’s next largest and richest confederation, might consider breaking away from FIFA. Sponsors, like Visa and Coca-Cola, also spoke out against the corruption. Last week, U.S. and Swiss officials announced indictments against about a dozen FIFA officials accused of involvement in a bribery scandal to influence World Cup locations.

Blatter said he chose to step down after he considered his “presidency and … the last 40 years in my life.”

His resignation met with widespread approval.

“It was a difficult decision, a brave decision, and the right decision,” Michel Platini, president of UEFA, said.

Platini, a former champion French player, is a possible candidate for Blatter’s successor. A new FIFA president could mean some long-reaching changes: freedom to run an internal audit of the organization, term limits for the president, a better distrubtion of votes, and tough integrity checks on candidates.

Domenico Scala, chairman of FIFA’s audit process, will oversee the new election: “There is significant work to be done to regain the trust of the public.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.