Sepp Blatter resigned as president of FIFA on Tuesday night in a stunning capitulation to critics as a mounting corruption scandal engulfed world football's governing body.
The 79-year-old Swiss official, FIFA president for 17 years and only re elected on Friday, calmly told a hastily arranged press conference in Zurich that a special congress would be called as soon as possible to choose a successor.
He said he felt compelled to stand for re-election, but that FIFA needs a profound overhaul.
Blatter did not mention the corruption storm that erupted less than a week ago, but said that while he had a mandate from the membership of FIFA, he did not feel that he had a mandate from the entire world of football.
He said he had thus decided to lay down his mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress and would continue to exercise is functions as FIFA President until that election.
Blatter has defiantly held off resignation calls for months amid controversies over the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup to Russia and Qatar and more recently over bribes allegedly taken by top soccer officials.
Swiss police arrested seven FIFA officials, including two vice presidents, at a Zurich hotel last Wednesday - setting off the latest storm for Blatter.
