Sepp Blatter and FIFA: What we know
Friday 25 September 2015 19:51, UK
Sky Sports News HQ reporter Aidan Magee provides the latest on FIFA in the wake of a statement from the Office of the Swiss Attorney General opening criminal proceedings against Sepp Blatter.
What do the Swiss Attorney General mean when they say they have opened criminal proceedings?
We know that Sepp Blatter is currently being questioned by representatives of the Swiss Attorney General. It is important to be clear that he has not been arrested. He is not at the moment required to appear in court, and he will still go home on Friday night.
They have started collecting evidence and they will now be questioning Mr Blatter, as well as potential witnesses, to see if there is enough evidence to bring charges. And this will, of course, take a long period of time.
What more details do we know?
The statement said he was being investigated "on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and - alternatively - on suspicion of misappropriation."
Earlier, FIFA cancelled their 1pm press conference at Zurich Headquarters.
The Attorney General's office said the investigation surrounds a TV rights deal that Mr Blatter signed with former Caribbean football chief Jack Warner in 2005.
Mr Blatter is also suspected of "a disloyal payment" in 2011 to the UEFA president Michel Platini.
How will this impact Blatter's ability to continue to run FIFA?
Officials at EXCO were in complete shock that the press conference was cancelled, never mind the fact the police turned up. Indications are that the next EXCO meeting - due to be held in Japan in December - will now be held in Zurich to prevent Mr Blatter having to travel.
That suggests FIFA are expecting Blatter to continue in his role at least until then - and that leaves only two months until the new president is elected on February 26.
UEFA president Michel Platini has been named in the statement from the Swiss Attorney General - what does this mean for his chances of replacing Blatter as president?
There will certainly be questions as to why two million Swiss Francs - that's about £1.3m to you and I - has been passed between the two men for what is described as "work performed between January 1999 and June 2002." We don't yet know what that work is.
Platini, though, is not the subject of a criminal investigation, and he remains the favourite to win the FIFA presidency race - unless, of course, more is revealed during the investigation.
And this news has overshadowed the announcement of the dates for the 2022 World Cup - what have FIFA said about that?
On Friday afternoon, they confirmed the first ever winter World Cup. It'll take place over 28 days instead of 32 - it'll be the shortest 32-team World Cup since France 1998.
And the Final will take place a week before Christmas Day.
The Premier League have not commented on it, because they did so when it was agreed in March. What happened on Friday was that the decision was ratified.
