Zurich: Sepp Blatter insisted yesterday that he would stay on as the body's president, his lawyer said, as UEFA chief Michel Platini revealed a payment made to him from Blatter had been "fully declared" to authorities.


Sepp Blatter

The head of world football's governing body said he would remain in his position while cooperating with criminal proceedings opened against him by Swiss prosecutors. He also defended a payment of two million Swiss francs ($2.05 million) made in 2011 to Platini, which investigators say may have been "disloyal" to FIFA.

"President Blatter spoke to FIFA staff today and informed the staff that he was cooperating with the authorities, reiterated that he had done nothing illegal or improper and stated that he would remain as president of FIFA," Blatter's US-based lawyer Richard Cullen said in a statement.