'Embarrassing' Blatter defies calls to quit
Published 22:31 17/11/11 By Simon Bird
Sepp Blatter has brushed off increasing pressure for him to quit as FIFA president despite being told he’s “embarrassing” football.
The Swiss faced a barrage of condemnation on Thursday as football ran out of patience with his leadership – including a Twitter row with Rio Ferdinand.
Gordon Taylor of the Professional Footballers Association led the charge.
He called for the FIFA chief's head after Blatter claimed racism doesn’t exist and players should “shake hands” after abuse on the pitch.
But later in the day Blatter moved to shore up his position by claiming he had been misunderstood, saying he had “fought discrimination and racism” for 37 years at FIFA.
In a savage attack, Taylor said: “Blatter is a leader, how can you have followers when you have said something as embarrassing as that?
“He is out of time, out of tune. Why should any banter be prefaced with reference to the colour of someone’s skin?
“When you see the corruption they’ve had at FIFA, the comments he made about homosexuals not going to Qatar, the way he talked about women’s football, the style of the arrangements for the World Cup, the fact he won’t have technology, I think it’s really time to move over for Michel Platini.”
Blatter said: “With all my determination and energy I go against discrimination and racism.
“I thought that after the World Cup in South Africa, which was about connecting all the different people and races in the country and bringing them together through football, that this is over.”
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Robbie Savage column: FIFA lackeys must grow a pair and tell Blatter to quit now
Darren Lewis column: Blatter should go but he won't... and football is to blame
Football figures line up attack "barmy" Blatter
Big-money FIFA sponsors let Blatter off the hook
Derek McGovern's Bets Of The Day: What are the odds Sepp Blatter quits FIFA by the end of the year?
