Internet Reacts as Sepp Blatter Stands Down as FIFA President
A few days ago, 79-year-old Sepp Blatter was voted into his fifth term as FIFA president. The Swiss executive appeared to bat aside years of troublesome allegations—and a week in which the U.S. Department of Justice brought turmoil on the organisation—by jovially declaring himself the "president of everybody."
On Tuesday evening, however, Blatter shocked the world by hastily calling a press conference to announce he would be standing down as FIFA president...
And the spike in Twitter traffic was incredible; around two million tweets have been posted about Blatter in the immediate aftermath of the news breaking:
When the impromptu press conference was initially announced, many suspected that big news was on the way...
As football fans around the world tuned into FIFA's live feed only to have to tolerate an elevator music-laden 45-minute delay, imaginations started to wonder...
"@whatahowler Muzak the only option left-- no artist wants to sully their good name by association with #FIFA
— David Burke (@Blacksburke) June 2, 2015"
When Blatter finally came on stage and revealed to the world that he would be relinquishing his grip on the beautiful game, there was a unanimous feeling of celebration on Twitter...
"Sepp Blatter has resigned! http://t.co/ZAby8F7DTq
— Football Vines (@FootballVines) June 2, 2015"
Predictably, the oft-ridiculed FIFA man also inspired plenty of banter-heavy memes and jokes...
The news even encouraged American broadcasters to start quoting The Wire...
Blatter's decision to stand down in spite of being fiercely averse to the concept a matter of hours ago led many to suspect he may have some legal troubles in the very near future...
The revelation also caused a public outburst of thanks toward the FBI and the U.S. authorities who appeared to get the ball rolling on Blatter's unceremonious exit...
"MASSIVE well done to the > @TheJusticeDept Attorney General, Loretta E. Lynch and the @FBI for ridding the world of #Blatter
— showmethemoney (@smtm_LFC) June 2, 2015"
Soon after the news broke, "Russia and Qatar" also started trending as folks presumed those countries may have their hosting privileges—which some believe were awarded unfairly under Blatter's presidency—for the next two World Cups stripped...
"Right... Let's cancel Russia and Qatar. First on the agenda!!!
— Will Graham (@I_am_w1ll) June 2, 2015"
There were also calls for new presidents—some more serious than others...
"If the next FIFA President is elected via Twitter votes. pic.twitter.com/qP8FO3YtY0
— #Everyday2015 (@UncleChizzy) June 2, 2015"
"Your next FIFA president. pic.twitter.com/H32XUqgP5n
— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) June 2, 2015"
As the dust settled on a tremendous day for fans of morally astute football governance, the BBC's Dan Walker delivered a sobering vegetable-based analogy to remind us all that the battle for a new FIFA is not yet won...
