ZURICH -- Sepp Blatter, the president of world soccer's governing body, acknowledged the "unprecedented and difficult times" for his organization Thursday but largely avoided taking responsibility for the actions of "a tiny minority" arrested in a corruption inquiry this week.
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Blatter is not among the 14 indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice, which is seeking extradition of the executives detained on its request, and is not involved a separate investigation announced by Swiss authorities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the annual congress of the members of the Federation Internationale de Football Association, the governing body, Blatter initially struck a somber tone after the arrest of several top soccer officials during a dawn raid Wednesday at a luxury hotel in Zurich.
Blatter said he knew that many soccer observers "hold me ultimately responsible for the actions and reputation of the global football community, whether it's the destination of the hosting of a World Cup or a corruption scandal."
He continued: "We, or I, cannot monitor everyone all of the time. If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. But it must also fall to me to be responsible for the reputation of our entire organization and to find a way to fix things."
Blatter's speech provided his first public comments since two FIFA vice presidents, including Jeffrey Webb, the president of the regional confederation that includes the United States, were among the officials roused from their beds by police Wednesday.
Blatter had skipped several previously scheduled public appearances Wednesday and Thursday, but he has maintained that he will stand for re-election as planned at the conclusion of today's FIFA congress.
Some critics, including Michel Platini, the head of European soccer's governing body, have called for Blatter, 79, to stand down as president after 17 years. Blatter, who has been at FIFA for the past 40 years, has refused.
"The events of yesterday have cast a long shadow over football and over this week's congress," he said. "Actions of individuals, if proven, bring shame and humiliation on football and demand action and change from us all.
"We cannot allow the reputation of football and FIFA to be dragged through the mud any longer," Blatter went on. "It has to stop here and now."
During his speech, Blatter did not directly address the election but indicated, in several different ways, that he believes he is the best person to lead FIFA's change. Blatter -- who won his first presidency in 1998 and was elected without opposition in his last two campaigns -- faces only one challenger in the presidential election, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan.
"We will cooperate with the authorities to make sure that anyone involved in wrongdoing, from top to bottom, is discovered and punished," he said. "There can be no place for corruption of any kind.
"The next few months will not be easy for FIFA. I'm sure more bad news may follow. But it is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organization. Let this be the turning point."
On Thursday, the fallout from the scandal continued to reverberate as soccer federations, sponsors and national governments responded to the investigation and as Blatter's opponents and supporters jockeyed for position.
European federations, representing the wealthiest leagues and the players who drive the world's game, continue to oppose Blatter, as they did before this week's arrests.
Platini, the president of Europe's Union of European Football Associations, said Thursday that 45 to 46 of its 53 members would vote for Ali.
The organization has characterized the arrests and investigation as a "disaster" for FIFA that has tarnished the image of soccer.
Federations in Africa, Asia and South America remain his biggest supporters despite the corruption inquiry.
The Asian Football Confederation said Thursday that it "reiterates its decision" to support Blatter's candidacy and called for the election to proceed, and it was joined later in the day by the Confederation of Africa Football, the governing body of African football, which said in a statement that it was opposed to any postponement.
FIFA sponsors, including Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa, are calling for soccer's governing body to change the way it operates, and on Thursday, a World Cup sponsor, Hyundai Motor, also registered its disapproval. The South Korean company said it was "extremely concerned" by the corruption charges.
Meanwhile, South Africa denied any wrongdoing Thursday after it was reported that the U.S. indictment suggested that a $10 million bribe had helped the country be named host for the 2010 World Cup. Federal prosecutors have accused Jack Warner, a committee member from Trinidad and Tobago and a former FIFA vice president, of offering his vote to the highest bidder and then using much of the $10 million payout from South Africa for personal use.
South Africa's sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, was quoted by Reuters as saying that the government had yet to receive an indictment from U.S. prosecutors that included a link to South Africans. The minister also said that the 2010 World Cup funds had been accounted for and audited and that "no such amount has been found," according to Reuters.
A Section on 05/29/2015