by Suzanne Beishon

SEPP BLATTER was left unimpressed and red-faced yesterday when a comedian threw a wad of cash at the beleaguered president as he prepared to give details of the Fifa extraordinary conference and new election. 

Comedian Simon Brodkin, better known by his alter egos Lee Nelson and “footballer” Jason Bent, was hauled out by security after the stunt, delaying the press conference by 10 minutes as Blatter left the stage and an organiser hurriedly cleaned up the banknotes. 

Posting from his @Jason9Bent Twitter account the comedian boasted: “Excited to be at Fifa meeting Sepp Blatter to secure the #NorthKorea2026 World Cup.”

Brushing off  the stunt, the president announced that the election for a new Fifa president will be held on February 26 2016 — almost nine months since he announced his resignation — with nominationa to be received before October 26. 

He also quashed the rumours that he was considering mounting an attempt to stay in power, instead opting for a career in radio, saying: “On February 26 Fifa will have a new president and I think I will go back to my work as a journalist — this time I will go to radio as this is the most popular item in information.”

The Zurich meeting of the Fifa executive committee that agreed the date was also due to discuss ways of reforming the organisation — including setting presidential term limits, disclosing all salaries and integrity checks — to regain the trust of fans and sponsors. 

The under-fire boss was also expected to come under pressure to leave his post before the scheduled election, with a number of Uefa members and sponsors leading the charge against his ongoing reign. 

Uefa president Michel Platini is favourite to win the fresh election after reports emerged suggesting that he has the backing of four out of six federations, despite not yet announcing his intention to stand and despite his leading role in the under scrutiny 1998 France World Cup bid and his vote for Qatar to be given the 2022 competition.  

• New Tory Culture, Media and Sport select committee chairman Jesse Norman annouced yesterday that the FA, Serious Fraud Office and global sponsors would be hauled in front of MPs to explain why they failed to expose the corruption at the heart of football’s governing body. He ordered an investigation into Fifa reform, due to begin in September, saying that “more can be done.”