FIFA has been at home in Zurich for over 90 years. Now the congress of the world association has approved a change to the statutes that shakes up the regulation that the headquarters of the world football association must be in the city on the Limmat. The long-time Fifa President Sepp Blatter comments on the decision.
SRF News: What went through your mind when you heard about the change to the statutes?
Sepp Blatter: First of all, it must be noted that FIFA is a club according to Swiss civil law. And a club has statutes. The most important body is the general assembly, the Congress. He is sovereign and can decide what he wants. The fact that FIFA determines its location is absolutely justifiable from a statutory standpoint. You can’t say she did it to achieve anything.
Nothing has been decided at the moment. But there is a possibility that FIFA could move away.
It now depends on what Zurich does with this decision. Nothing has been decided at the moment. But there is a possibility that FIFA could move away.
Why did FIFA decide this way?
You don’t have to ask me. I’m no longer there. And I wasn’t asked whether that was good or bad. All I can say is that FIFA has the right to discuss the statutes. It is a challenge for Zurich. If the city wants FIFA to stay in Zurich, then it has to move now. Maybe the canton and probably also Switzerland. Because it is important where the most important sports association in the world is located.
It would now be time for the city and the canton of Zurich and Switzerland to decide: ‘We want FIFA to stay here and we have to do everything we can to achieve that.’
We already have the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOK) in Switzerland. And this has already decided that Lausanne will remain the IOK capital. The decision was never made in Zurich. It would now be time for the city and the canton of Zurich and Switzerland to decide: “We want FIFA to stay here and we have to do everything we can to achieve that.”
Do you think it is important that FIFA stays in Zurich?
It was very important for me and in my time – also for FIFA. We held the meetings in Zurich, we brought the Ballon d’Or here. This attracted the crème de la crème to Zurich, filling hotels and restaurants. This was a revival of the city, of commerce and of tourism. In recent years this has no longer been the case because people have avoided Zurich a bit. Now it is time for Zurich – just as Lausanne did with the IOK – to commit to Fifa.
So politics is required?
Yes.
Does it hurt you that Zurich no longer seems to play this role for FIFA? Her successor, Gianni Infantino, wants to decentralize FIFA.
Woe… (laughs). I’m no longer the president. Every president has his own ideas. I don’t know whether it’s Infantino’s idea to move from Zurich or someone else’s. But: There are 200 state associations and it takes a two-thirds majority to change this. And it won’t be that easy.
I think that a small warning call has now come so that Zurich and Switzerland think about what it means to be the headquarters of FIFA.
If politicians don’t get involved, would it actually be possible for FIFA to leave Zurich?
I can not say that. But I would regret that very much. I think that a small warning call has now come so that Zurich and Switzerland think about what it means to be the headquarters of FIFA, a huge building. And then there’s the museum, and that’s going well! You should also think about this – and all the economic power that Fifa Zurich continues to bring. What more do we want? But you have to work for it! All I can say is: do it, try it!
Luca Laube conducted the interview.
You can see more about this in the program “Schweiz aktuell” at 7:00 p.m. on SRF 1.