UEFA's Michel Platini Demands Sepp Blatter Resign, Responds to FIFA Corruption

UEFA President Michel Platini held a press conference on Thursday to express his desire for FIFA President Sepp Blatter to step down amid the organization's corruption crisis, which has been outlined by the Guardian. He's also attempting to rally support for candidate Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein in the upcoming election.

Martyn Ziegler of the Press Association noted Platini made it clear he wanted a new head for FIFA:

John Cross of the Daily Mirror provided Platini's comments about discussing the situation with Blatter and making his desires known:

Blatter's response to the UEFA chief's urging was an interesting one, as Paul Kelso of Sky News highlighted:

Dan Roan of BBC Sport provided an explanation about what Platini is hoping to achieve when it comes to the upcoming election:

There's a possible alternate plan on the table should Blatter still manage to beat Prince Ali, per Owen Gibson of the Guardian:

Gibson also noted Platini wasn't prepared to take any actions completely off of the table:

Bryan Swanson of Sky Sports spotlighted the hope to avoid a World Cup boycott, though:

Joshua Robinson of the Wall Street Journal pointed out Platini also praised the efforts of the FBI:

Platini himself is not part of the ongoing investigation and doesn't think that will change, according to Rob Harris of the Associated Press:

Tom Peckin of IOL Sport previously reported the European football governing body was hoping to delay the election, which is scheduled for Friday. BBC Sport added there were no plans to push back the date despite the hectic situation.

The corruption crisis is already causing major image problems for FIFA. The situation could become even worse if Blatter is re-elected amid the chaos, with Platini making it clear UEFA wants a change in leadership at the top.