SUSPENDED Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he had been close to death as he lay in hospital during a mounting scandal over his time at the head of world soccer’s governing body.
In his first public comments since emerging from treatment, Blatter told Swiss broadcaster SRT: “I was really between the angels who sing and the devil who stokes the fire.” But he did not go into details on his condition.
Blatter was admitted to hospital in early November, weeks after Fifa’s ethics committee launched an investigation into his conduct and that of his former protege, European soccer boss Michel Platini.
Fifa suspended both men, then called on Saturday for sanctions against them, deepening the storm building around the sports body, which is also facing criminal enquiries in Switzerland and the United States of America. – REUTERS