Defiant Sepp Blatter rejects FIFA sponsors' resignation calls

Johannesburg: Sepp Blatter has decided not to relinquish his position as FIFA president despite its sponsors' mounting calls for the embattled chief's resignation, his US lawyer has confirmed.

In the wake of criminal proceedings launched last week against Blatter in Switzerland, US-based sponsors such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Visa and Budweiser called on the 79-year-old to step down.

According to the sponsors, Blatter should immediately resign for the benefit of the game and also to ensure that a credible and sustainable reform process could take place in the wake of the corruption scandal that has plunged world football into an unprecedented crisis.

Blatter's New York attorney Richard Cullen said in a statement that the Swiss would not resign as he believes firmly that his leaving office now would neither be in the best interest of FIFA nor would it advance the process of reform, Sport24 reported.

Blatter, who was re-elected for a fifth term in May, has insisted that he will remain in the post until the election of his successor early next year.

FIFA's reputation has been severely tarnished after 14 sports marketing executives and football officials, including several from Zurich-based FIFA, were indicted by the United States in late May over corruption charges.