select a team ---------- Europe: Belgium Croatia Denmark England France Germany Ireland Italy Poland Portugal Russia Slovenia Spain Sweden Turkey ---------- South America: Argentina Brazil Ecuador Paraguay Uruguay ---------- Africa: Cameroon Nigeria Senegal South Africa Tunisia ---------- Asia: China Japan Saudi Arabia South Korea ---------- CONCACAF: Costa Rica Mexico United States     Main page    Schedule    Stadiums

Blatter's FIFA rival leaves post

Blatter, left predicted Zen-Ruffinen's job was 'in trouble'

SEOUL, South Korea -- FIFA's secretary-general is to stand down after the World Cup following a bitter dispute with the football organisation's president.

Michel Zen-Ruffinen raised allegations of corruption against Sepp Blatter in a 30-page document earlier this month.

But the secretary-general lost the battle within football's world governing body when Blatter was convincingly re-elected as president on Wednesday.

Zen-Ruffinen's allegations prompted FIFA executives to launch legal action against Blatter but since he won re-election the case has been dropped.

Blatter signalled Zen-Ruffinen's job may be in jeopardy immediately after the election when he told reporters his right-hand man might be "in trouble."

MORE STORIES Troubled times at FIFA    AUDIO Oceania Football Conference head Basil Scarsella on FIFA's damaged reputation and how Blatter's reelection may affect Oceania's World Cup hopes. 798k / 1min. 14secs. WAV sound Chuck Blazer, general secretary of CONCACAF, the North and Central American and Caribbean football confederation, on the future of FIFA and the dirty politics of the election campaign. 585k / 54 secs WAV sound

Zen-Ruffinen will leave his post at the Federation Internationale de Football Association on July 4, it was announced by the organisation just hours before the 2002 tournament was due to start in Japan and South Korea.

The secretary-general had submitted allegations of financial mismanagement and other charges of corruption to FIFA's executive committee in the run-up to the presidential election.

The document accused the 66-year-old Swiss-born Blatter of manipulating FIFA to benefit third parties or other personal interests, and of charges that "may constitute criminal offences."

It also attacked the FIFA head for stopping an internal audit of FIFA's finances, which sought to look into the fallout of the $300 million collapse of FIFA's marketing partner in 2001.

That report -- whose contents have been strongly denied by Blatter -- sparked legal action against the FIFA president by 11 executive committee members.

In his defence, Blatter says the allegations were part of a "smear campaign" designed to thwart his re-election bid. The legal action has been dropped since Blatter's re-election.

Blatter easily won re-election to another four-year term as president over Issa Hayatou of Cameroon by a vote of 139-56, thanks to the votes from North and South America, Africa and the Caribbean members. (Full story)

But Blatter only won re-election to the job he took over in 1998 after hours of angry debate.

Immediately after the win, Blatter said his re-election was a victory for football and vowed to restore FIFA's reputation.

"Victory goes to football," Blatter told reporters. "Football is a game of the people and the people cannot lie. Therefore today is also a victory for the truth."