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Friday, 31 May, 2002, 08:11 GMT 09:11 UK
Zen-Ruffinen to leave Fifa
Zen-Ruffinen had been "like a son" to Blatter
Fifa general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen will step down from his post after losing a power struggle with re-elected president Sepp Blatter.
Zen-Ruffinen was a fierce critic of Blatter's dictatorial style and produced an explosive report last month accusing the Swiss lawyer of mismanaging Fifa's finances. He highlighted misleading accounting practices and evidence of conflicting interests, which led to 11 Fifa members bringing a criminal complaint against Blatter. But the president - buoyed by his re-election for a new four-year term on Wednesday - has been swift to flex his muscles.
Zen-Ruffinen remains in charge of World Cup organisation but will leave Fifa on 4 July, four days after the competition, on "mutually agreed terms". In addition, the 11 members of Fifa's Executive Commitee who brought the criminal complaint - alleging misuse of funds - against Blatter in a Zurich court have agreed to drop the action. The move would appear to bring an end to months of in-fighting in world soccer's governing body. But Blatter did agree ahead of his re-election that an internal investigation into Fifa's finances would be re-opened following the World Cup, after his own decision to suspend it. "The executive committee meeting in Seoul has reached agreement with the general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen ... that their contractual relationship will end on July 4," a Fifa statement issued on Friday confirmed.
"In the meantime he will continue to be in charge of the World Cup." The executive, with a majority of Blatter supporters for the first time, also agreed to a proposal from senior vice-president Julio Grondona of Argentina that the legal action against Blatter should be dropped. Nine of the 11 members who lodged the legal case on 3 May in the wake of Zen-Ruffinen's report are still on the Executive Committee. "The 11 executive committee members who had instigated legal proceedings agreed their legal action be withdrawn immediately," the statement added. Despite the niceties of the statement, Blatter - empowered by a 139-56 vote victory over Cameroonian Issa Hayatou - has removed the right-hand man he once described as "like a son to me."
Zen-Ruffinen was hand-picked for the job by Blatter in 1998, but their relationship quickly soured. He has now paid the price for openly accusing Blatter of mismanagement. On Thursday the president told Switzerland's Blick newspaper: "On Friday the executive committee will deal with our Mr Clean. This is it. "The latest negative comments from Zen-Ruffinen after my election put the nail in the coffin". Zen-Ruffinen appeared to sense that Blatter's re-election would trigger his own departure. "I stand behind what I said," he said on Wednesday. "I will not step down, but I will probably have to leave."
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