by Suzanne Beishon

THE footballing world took a sharp intake of breath yesterday as embattled president Sepp Blatter said that he had not resigned, leaving the door open for a dramatic return to football’s bruised governing body.

After hastily announcing on June 2 that he would be standing aside at an extraordinary congress, set to take place between December and March, the 79-year-old hinted at a shock U-turn.

Fifa has been embroiled in crisis since the indictment of 18 people in the United States for football-related corruption charges.

In his first public outing since the scandal broke, at the Fifa museum, Swiss newspaper Blick reported that the defiant Blatter said: “I have not resigned, I put my mandate in the hands of an extraordinary congress.”

He implied that he did not plan to retire, stating that he was “not ready for a museum, or for a waxwork” and added: “Only those who know the past can understand the present and shape the future. Or in other words: the ball is round — but only those who come from outer space know the actual dimensions of our sport.”

The statement comes after the Swiss press alleged that Blatter may be considering putting his name forward for re-election after being backed by a number of national associations.

A Fifa source confirmed the quotes and said: “Nothing has changed, he is not going to stand” and argued that his comments “are fully in line with the speech of the president on June 2.”

While Fifa poured cold water on the claims, with the insistance that Blatter still plans to leave his position, a source close the organisation said that the crisis has thrown the president’s attendance at the Women’s World Cup final into doubt.

The crisis had cast a shadow over the body’s flagship women’s event that they were hoping to use to show off the growth of the women’s game.

The pompous president would normally hand over the trophy to the winning captain and attend the illustrious event but reports from the US suggesting that Blatter himself is under investigation by the FBI have scuppered his travel arrangements.

A Fifa spokesperson cagily said: “In terms of the Fifa president and the Fifa secretary general, their future travel plans will be confirmed in due course.”