ZURICH — (CNN) FIFA’s hopes of rebuilding its reputation were hijacked Monday by a British comedian who showered the president of football’s world governing body with what appeared to be fake money.
As Blatter took to the stage at FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland., he was ambushed by Simon Brodkin — aka Lee Nelson — who recently interrupted Kanye West’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival.
Blatter was unharmed but looked nervous as the notes were thrown towards him. The Swiss later returned to answer questions regarding FIFA’s latest plans to clean up its act.
Earlier in the day, FIFA had announced it will elect Blatter’s successor on February 26, 2016.
The Swiss has led FIFA since 1998 but decided to stand down on June 2 as the game’s world governing body battled two corruption scandals.
So far only two men — former Brazil international Zico and Liberian FA president Musa Bility — have announced their candidacy, but a wave of new names is expected now a timeline has been announced.
There is increasing speculation that Michel Platini may stand for the top job in world football.
The Frenchman, who was reelected UEFA president earlier this year, was asked by four of six confederations to consider standing following overnight talks in Switzerland.
CNN has been told that Platini has yet to decide whether he will stand for the post.
Platini’s European governing body was understood to have been pushing for new elections on December 16 but this date would clash with FIFA’s Club World Cup in Japan.
A press conference called for 1300 GMT is expected to reveal further details.
Led by Domenico Scala, the chairman of FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee, FIFA is also discussing how to reform the way it is run.
The organization was plunged into crisis in late May when seven FIFA officials were charged for racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering by the FBI.
The charges are part of a U.S. prosecution that indicted a total of 14 people from around the globe.
Meanwhile, a separate probe by Swiss authorities is investigating potential corruption into the bidding process for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2015 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. (Photo: CNN)
