Paranoid Blatter rages against "defamation campaign"

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has slammed a British newspaper report which claims he used bribery in the 1998 election which secured his job.

"I was not surprised that a report like this has surfaced at this time," Blatter said.

"It's all part of a campaign of destabilisation and defamation which has been directed against me for some time," Blatter said today.

"For several weeks, FIFA has been aware of this campaign. I have already spoken at length and in detail on all the allegations that have been made concerning the 1998 election," he claimed as he seeks re-election in May with no candidates confirmed yet to stand against him.

African Football Confederation president Issa Hayatou may confirm his candidacy in two weeks after today's 'The Daily Mail' and reporter Andrew Jennings alleged Blatter was backed by Arab interests to bribe African delegates to vote for the fomrer Swiss watchmaker in his suprise win to take the presidential office as successor to his mentor Brazilian Joao Havelange.

Eurpean governing body UEFA says it wants an investigation into the bribery claims and has also persisted in attempts to make FIFA produce a proper audit of its accounts after the bankruptcy of marketing arm ISL last April.