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Standing ovation for Blatter at FIFA headquarters

Xinhua, June 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

About 400 FIFA staff gave outgoing president Sepp Blatter a standing ovation on Wednesday, one day after the 79-year-old Swiss announced he would resign.

A FIFA spokesman said Blatter was emotional when his staff applauded him for several minutes.

The storm started to hit the world soccer body on May 27 when Swiss police arrested seven soccer officials from a Zurich hotel on the eve of FIFA's annual congress. They were among 14 sports and marketing officials indicted by U.S. authorities on corruption charges.

Blatter, who won a fifth term in an election on Friday, surprised the world by announcing resignation four days later.

"While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football -- the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football," he told a press conference on Tuesday. Endi