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FIFA
president, Sepp Blatter, brushed aside what he called the “envy and
jealousy” of world soccer’s governing body’s critics on Thursday after
a typically roller-coaster few weeks of controversy.

Blatter, who is
standing for a fourth term as president in May, has been under pressure
following the simultaneous voting for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups; won
by Russia and Qatar respectively, and the allegations of corruption
that dogged the process. He has also been criticised by FIFA colleagues
and outsiders alike for the way he has tried to introduce a new
anti-corruption committee. But the 74-year-old Swiss, addressing the
46-nation Asian Football Confederation Congress, said FIFA was still in
good shape despite two executive committee members being suspended and
other senior officials suspended and fined amid allegations of bribery
and corruption last year.

Win some, lose some

“In 2010 we had
some milestones in the history of football, starting with the first
World Cup on the African continent, and what a success (that was),” he
said. “Then we had the women’s Under-17 World Cup which had its first
Asian champions, South Korea and then the decision of FIFA’s executive
committee to go to new destinations in 2018 and 2022. All these
successes have created a lot of envy and jealousy in our world because
you cannot satisfy everybody. The success story of FIFA can continue
because we are in a comfortable situation, despite the criticism given
to FIFA. We have the power and the instruments to go against any
attacks that are made. In 2011 we will have competitions, but there is
something else at stake, the elections in all the confederations.
Football is still a game and you learn to win, but you must also learn
to lose, so I ask you to be fair and to conduct them in a democratic
way.”

Blatter was given an immediate boost when his preferred candidate,
Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, was voted on to the executive
committee at the expense of South Korean Chung Mong-joon, one of his
long-term critics.