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FIFA President Sepp Blatter. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Blatter: 'I'm powerless to punish Havelange'

FIFA’s honourary president Joao Havelange has been embroiled in an extremely damaging TV rights payments controversy. But his successor says he can do little about it.

PRESIDENT SEPP BLATTER has insisted that he is innocent of any wrongdoing as FIFA is embroiled in a new scandal.

FIFA published a Swiss prosecutor’s report yesterday confirming former chief Joao Havelange’s role in the scandal. Blatter was the federation’s top administrator for 17 years during Havelange’s presidency.

However, he said that ‘commission’ payments received by FIFA from disgraced marketing agency ISL were legal back in the 1990s.

“Back then, such payments could even be deducted from tax as a business expense. Today, that would be punishable under law,” Blatter told FIFA.com.

“You can’t judge the past on the basis of today’s standards. Otherwise it would end up with moral justice. I can’t have known about an offence that wasn’t even one.”

Now 96, Havelange is currently FIFA’s Honorary President and Blatter is resisting calls to strip his former boss of his title. ”I don’t have the power to call him to account. The (FIFA) Congress named him as Honorary President. Only the Congress can decide his future,” he said.

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    Mute etttiiiggghhheee
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    Jul 12th 2012, 7:26 PM

    At least sepp knows he lives in a glass house.

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    Mute Aidan Kearney
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    Jul 12th 2012, 7:57 PM

    Sounds to me that Sepp was the bag man back then! Follow the money…

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    Mute Will Boylan
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:13 PM

    Have FIFA taken an Irish Politics course or have Irish Politicians taken a FIFA course?

    38
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    Mute Tom Gallagher
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    Jul 13th 2012, 9:13 AM

    Yes, because EVERYTHING that goes on in the world can be tied in with Irish politics. Jeez, give it a rest peeps.

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    Mute Frank O Shea
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:35 PM

    Delaney would vote for this guy again as they all feed at the same troff.

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    Mute Paul Doyle
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    Jul 12th 2012, 10:23 PM

    FIFA, rotten 2 the core

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    Mute Dave Sherman
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    Jul 12th 2012, 8:38 PM

    Muppet or Puppet. Can’t make up my mind.

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    Mute Dexter Gordon
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    Jul 13th 2012, 12:56 AM

    Both!

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    Mute Enda Story
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    Jul 12th 2012, 10:26 PM

    Havelange got peanuts compared to Qatars buying of the 2022 world cup! Keep the head down Sepp.

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    Mute Gary von trap
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    Jul 12th 2012, 10:15 PM

    muppet

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    Mute Marist '59
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    Jul 13th 2012, 12:37 AM

    What’s Sepp’s nephew up to these days?

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    Mute Karl Harpur
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    Jul 13th 2012, 10:53 AM

    Read a book called FOUL by Andrew Jennings. It’s about corruption in FIFA. How Blatter is still at the helm is incredible. The guy stinks.

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    Mute Unitedpeople Ireland
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    Jul 13th 2012, 9:22 AM

    FIFA and Blatter – both useless and I suspect both corrupt!

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