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Audio Length: 22 minutes

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Number of Interviewees: Numerous

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Petrus Damaseb: Welcome President Blatter. Everybody before you was accompanied. I assume you are unaccompanied - you are alone?

President Blatter: Chairman, Mr President, yes, I am alone.

Petrus Damaseb: Thank you very much, sir. President Blatter, as you are aware, we have convened this afternoon as a panel of the Ethics Committee at the request of the Secretary General of FIFA. The circumstances under which we convene relate to, as you know, the forthcoming elections for the presidency of FIFA and the allegations that have been made around that. The reason you are present here is that Mr Bin Hammam, who is in his own right an accused, has asked that a case be opened against you and that was referred to the Ethics Committee.

For the record, as the Deputy Chairman of the Ethics Committee, I chair this meeting because our substantive Chairman, Claudio Sulser, because of his Swiss nationality and the fact that you are a contestant in the elections is an accused himself and therefore, in that capacity, I chair this meeting. As you know, I am a national of Namibia, a judge of the High Court of Namibia. I have with me Justice Torres, a judge of the Supreme Court of Guam, and I have Juan Pedro Damiani. Damiani, do you want to just briefly tell the President what you do? Juan Pedro Damiani: We know each other for some time now so, for the last 12 years, I've been Vice Chairman of the Uruguay Federation and now I'm President of the club Penarol. I've been in FIFA since 98 and I'm a banker and economist by trade.

Les Murray: I don’t think the President needs my introduction but, for the record, I will. I'm Les Murray, a journalist from Australia, Editorial Executive at SBS Television. I've been a broadcaster and commentator in Australia on football for 30 years and I've been on this Committee since its inception in 2006.

Sondre Kaafjord: Good afternoon Mr President, I'm Sondre Kaafjord from Norway and I was the President of the Norwegian FA for six years. I left presidency last year and now I'm a bank manager.

Petrus Damaseb: Now, sir, that is the composition of the Committee. The reason I have asked that we go through that procedure is since you are accused also of something you have certain rights. One of them is if you wish to object to the composition of the Committee. Any objection?

President Blatter: I do not object.

Petrus Damaseb: Thank you very much. The next is to explain to you why we are here. I already begun to do that. Allegations have been made by Mr Bin Hammam that, in seven of the documents that have been brought against him in the context of the inquiry against him, an allegation was made that it had been reported to you by Mr Jack Warner that certain payments were going to be made by Mr Bin Hammam to national associations and that, to the extent that it is alleged that you are aware of those payments, you are under a duty to disclose that fact. That is the basis for the allegation.

Now, in terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, the purpose of the procedure today is to determine in respect of the allegations against you whether there appears to be an infringement of the Code of Conduct as article 129 read with article 130 of the Code of Ethics which empowers us as a disciplinary group - I mean as an Ethics Committee to check if there appears to be any evidence of an infringement and, if we think there is, to consider whether provisional measures must be taken. Which provisional measures might include temporary exclusion of an accused person, in this case yourself, from football activities until the inquiry has been completed.

That is the allegation Mr President Blatter, and the context of that and to proceed you have therefore been summoned as the accused in this procedure under case number 110159, [instituted] against you with regard to the possible violation of FIFA statutes, the Disciplinary Code and the Code of Ethics - in particular article seven and 14 of the FIFA Code of Ethics. In this regard, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that acts amounting to attempt an intentional involvement in committing an infringement either as instigator or accomplice, Article nine of the Disciplinary Code are also punishable.

As an accused person, you have the right to remain silent. Should you refuse to testify, the Ethics Committee will reach a decision based on the records and evidence available to it. In accordance with Article seven of the FIFA statutes and Article one of the FIFA Code of Ethics, you are subject to the ages and the sanctioning powers of FIFA and you can expect to be sanctioned should what you have said be found to be untrue. At this point in time I would like to invite a member of the secretariat to read the formal charge.

Male: Thank you Mr Chairman. Mr President, the charge against you is as follows - Mr Bin Hammam stated that in view of the report of Mr Chuck Blazer, FIFA Executive Committee member and CONCACAF General Secretary, remitted to the FIFA Secretary General, Mr Jerome Valcke, you allegedly committed several infringements to the FIFA regulations. In particular that you were allegedly informed by Mr Warner about some cash payments and that you allegedly had no issue with it. Consequently you are accused of a possible violation of Article seven of the FIFA statutes and Article 14 of the FIFA Code of Ethics.

Petrus Damaseb: President Blatter, that is the allegation against you and I repeat say that, at this stage, we have to determine as a Committee whether this allegation against you and the evidence that has been provided there appears to be an infringement of the code on your part and, in that context, to consider whether we should impose provisional measures. Now, against that background I now invite you to present to the Committee your side of the story and all the evidence that you wish us to take into account to consider the two questions.

Whether or not there appears to be an infringement and whether, if we think there is such an infringement, what factors you want us to take into account in order not to impose the provisional measures as contemplated. The floor is yours, sir.

President Blatter: Thank you Chairman, thank you gentlemen, lady, around this table. I have listened carefully the introductory remarks and the accusation that has been brought towards me. Mr Chairman, I have answered on 28 May to you and to the members this allegation in written form and I suppose that you have this letter or this document in front of you. I would just like to go into one very important point. This is this Article 14 of the FIFA Code of Ethics because when I met the Vice President of FIFA, Mr Jack Austin Warner, then on this special day of the Sunday 10 April I told him that he should refrain from organising such a meeting.

It's not the first time I told him that - such an individual meeting with one of the part of his confederation. It's not the whole confederation, it's the CFU. To refrain, and when he was speaking the aspect of money I told him again, don’t speak about that. Then, for me, the situation was closed. My message has been given very clearly and when I am looking on this Article 14 then I should report if any evidence was there. There was not evidence because this was a declaration of Mr Warner and I thought that he will understand my message.

It is only when I came back the other day from travel from Japan, on 23 May, that I was informed by the Secretary General that he has received some evidences. So, between the time I spoke with Mr Warner in April and this time there, I personally had no evidence that something had happened and I was of the opinion that Mr Warner would have understood my very clear message. First to not organise this special meeting and secondly to not speak about money.

Petrus Damaseb: Thank you very much President Blatter. Members of the Committee, are there any issues you seek to clarify? Questions you want to ask of Mr Blatter?

Male: I just have a couple. This occurred, Mr President, on the meeting that - late evening that you had with him on 10 April?

President Blatter: Yes.

Male: When he talked about the money, did he give some indication about amounts or what they would be for, or anything of that nature?

President Blatter: No, he has only mentioned what I put there. It would be good for some of the associations. I told him, stop speaking about money, but he didn’t speak about any amount or the number or whatever.

Male: He didn’t say what the purpose was? Did he say, for example, it would be for reimbursement of expenses for them to attend this meeting?

President Blatter: No, he hadn’t said that, no.

Male: Okay.

Les Murray: Did he mention where the money was coming from? Did he mention Mohammed Bin Hammam being the supplier of this money?

President Blatter: He has not expressed his [verbis] - said where the money is coming from. But it was my understanding that, when speaking about the election and this special meeting, based on, I would say, an argument that he will not receive a visa to go to the official meeting of the CONCACAF, then I suppose. But we didn’t speak about that the money is coming there - from who the money was coming.

Sondre Kaafjord: Mr President, two questions. One, was it your impression in discussion with Jack Warner that he preferred to have, excuse me, Bin Hammam to the CFU meeting instead of the CONCACAF congress? Did you have the impression that he had a preference for a smaller meeting instead of inviting him to the CONCACAF congress?

President Blatter: According to my information at that time was that part of the Executive Committee of the CONCACAF, and specifically the central part and the northern part, they were not happy with such an initiative to have a special congress for the candidate because at the first instance it was said that congress should be with the whole of CONCACAF. Because of the vitriol of the north - or the rejection of the north and the centre, then he said, okay then, I will do it only for the CFU because I'm the Chairman of the CFU and so I can [rogue] my members.

Sondre Kaafjord: Second question - did you ever, after that meeting on 10 April, discuss this matter or mention Warner's intention to Mr Chuck Blazer?

President Blatter: I think I spoke with Mr Blazer before this meeting because he told me that the northern part and the central part of the CONCACAF is against this meeting. So it was before I met Mr Warner.

Petrus Damaseb: President Blatter, anything you want to say in conclusion at this point in time in your defence?

President Blatter: Yes, I have a lot to say in my defence in such a case. I have to tell you, Mr Chairman, if I am happy to be [once] with the Ethics Committee I didn’t know that I shall be here as an accused. I present my defence but I have to say it's a sad day. It is a sad day for me to be here but it's a happy day that I can defend myself in front of you. So I'm happy to be here, I'm honoured to be in a constitutional Committee that I have had the initiative to put in in FIFA after having served so many years in FIFA and having seen that we are not able to go on what happened outside of the field of play.

We are the wonderful organisation which is called the Disciplinary Committee Board of Appeal when it comes to all what has happened inside the field of play. But outside the field of play was not done. That’s why, in 2006, in the congress of Munich we have installed the FIFA Ethics Committee with the FIFA Code of Ethics. I would just advise the members of the whole of FIFA to read once this because - and Mr Chairman it's not my defence but I tell you at the congress - on the forthcoming congress I have on the agenda, and this is since two months, zero tolerance.

Zero tolerance was, by your Committee you said zero tolerance. I take it off from you, I put it on the agenda and this will be one of the key points of the next congress. For my defence I don’t say more than what is the truth. I had no evidence what I am accused - why should I have had a problem. If there is a problem somewhere I am the number one to go into these problems. Here, for me, there was not a problem because the problem had been created by the other parties.

This I'm just wanting to add and to thank you for your dedication for the good of the game because we are in a situation when the Ethics Committee of FIFA is starting its real activities last year and now going into with these matters. I congratulate you, I thank you what you are doing. Thank you for your attention Mr Chairman, members of the Committee.

Petrus Damaseb: Thank you very much, President Blatter. Now, at this point of the procedure it is my duty to ask whether there is any aspect of the procedure this afternoon about which you are dissatisfied, or are you happy with everything that has transpired? Have we treated you fairly, are you unhappy with the way in which anything has transpired here this afternoon, sir?

President Blatter: Definitely, Chairman. You and the Committee members, you treated me fairly. This is exactly what we want. It is respect; it is discipline and fair play. Thank you so much.

Petrus Damaseb: Thank you very much, President Blatter. In conclusion, as I said, we are here to consider whether there is any appearance of an offence being committed and whether we should invoke provisional measures in the light of whatever conclusion we come to. How do we communicate our decision to you this afternoon after we have deliberated, sir?

President Blatter: I am in my office, I am working.

Petrus Damaseb: You know where the President's office is, you are happy? I would like to thank you for your cooperation in coming. As I have done with others, of course given your pivotal position in the organisation and a senior official of FIFA, we assume that you will continue to provide your cooperation to the Committee with its continuing investigation of this matter?

President Blatter: Definitely, yes. You can count on 100 per cent of this zero tolerance, definitely. I thank you for your help.

Petrus Damaseb: Thank you, Mr President. You are excused now.