Sepp Blatter
Details
- Date of Birth:
- March 10, 1936
- Height:
- 5' 7"
- Hometown:
- Visp
Bio:
Sepp Blatter (born Joseph S. Blatter on March 10, 1936 in Visp, Valais, Switzerland) is a Swiss football administrator. Sepp studied in Saint-Maurice, Switzerland before getting a business and economics degree from the University of Lausanne in 1959. He worked as a public relations executive at various organizations, including the watch manufacturer, Longines, before taking a job with FIFA in 1975. He started as technical director until 1981, when he became FIFA’s general secretary. In 1998, he was elected as FIFA president and was reelected in 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2015. Throughout his career as FIFA president, Sepp was mired in controversy, dogged with allegations of FIFA’s massive corruption and bribery, specifically in regards to the World Cup. In May 2015, fourteen people (half of which were FIFA executives) were indicted in connection to a FBI investigation into wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. This massive corruption scandal happened right before the 65th FIFA Congress, which included the election of the FIFA president. Despite being reelected, Sepp announced on June 2, 2015, that he would resign from his position.
Best Known For:
Sepp Blatter is best known for his tenure as FIFA president, as well as for his alleged corruption.
Personal Life:
In addition to his native German, Sepp speaks French, English, Spanish and Italian. He was an active soccer/football player from 1948 to 1971, playing in the top Swiss amateur league. Sepp has been married three times. Sepp has a daughter, Corinne, with his first wife, Lilane Biner. Sep married Barbara Kaser in 1989. They divorced in 1999. He married dolphin trainer, Graziella Bianca, in 2002. They also divorced.