Editing Sepp Blatter (section)

=== 2011 FIFA presidential election ===
{{Main|61st FIFA Congress}}
[[File:Luis Suarez - CA2011 mvp award.jpg|thumb|Blatter (right) with [[Luis Suárez]], the Player of the Tournament of the [[2011 Copa América]].]]
In 2011, elections were scheduled for the FIFA presidency, in which Blatter was again the incumbent candidate, running for a fourth consecutive term. The [[ChangeFIFA]] organisation, on 29 March 2011, endorsed former [[Chile national football team|Chilean]] defender and for three years running [[South American Footballer of the Year]] [[Elías Figueroa]] as candidate for the presidency, urging national federations to nominate him,<ref name=world>[http://www.worldfootballinsider.com/Story.aspx?id=34235 "ChangeFIFA Urges Federations to Back South American Legend's Challenge to Blatter Presidency"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008141006/http://www.worldfootballinsider.com/Story.aspx?id=34235 |date= 8 October 2011 }} ''World Football Insider'', 29 March 2011</ref> but, subsequently, Figueroa decided not to accept the nomination, stating that "in such a short period of time" he could not develop a case "worthy of the magnitude and importance of such a distinguished job"<ref name=world />

The vote took place at the [[61st FIFA Congress]] in Zurich.<ref name="hammam-ends">{{cite news|date=29 May 2011|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13587449|title=Fifa: Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar ends presidential bid|publisher=BBC|access-date=21 June 2018|archive-date=5 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705054055/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13587449|url-status=live}}</ref> The only other candidate, [[Mohammed bin Hammam]] of [[Qatar]], withdrew from the presidential race on 28 May, just before the vote.<ref name="hammam-ends" /> Bin Hammam had supported Blatter's 1998 and 2002 presidential campaigns, but admitted that he had fallen out with Blatter over issues within the [[FIFA Executive Committee]].<ref name="hammam-confirms">{{cite news|date=21 March 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/mar/21/mohamed-bin-hammam-sepp-blatter-fifa|title=Mohamed bin Hammam says Sepp Blatter's time as Fifa president is up|work=The Guardian|location=London|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=10 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510220027/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/mar/21/mohamed-bin-hammam-sepp-blatter-fifa|url-status=live}}</ref> The FIFA ethics committee that investigated bribery claims against Bin Hammam and [[CONCACAF]] head [[Jack Warner (football executive)|Jack Warner]] announced that Blatter will not face an investigation into claims that he knew of the bribery and did nothing about it, because of a lack of evidence.<ref name="blatter-cleared">{{cite news|date=29 May 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/29/fifa-crisis|title=Sepp Blatter cleared as FIFA suspends Bin Hammam and Warner|publisher=FIFA|location=London|first=Tom|last=Bryant|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223183658/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/may/29/fifa-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref>

Blatter criticised the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC), stating FIFA manage their finances "like a housewife", after the IOC announced it would look into allegations of corruption against [[Issa Hayatou]], president of the Confederation of African Football.<ref>{{cite web|title=New gaffe from FIFA's Blatter|url=http://asia.eurosport.com/olympicgames/olympic-games/2012/new-gaffe-from-blatter_sto2609564/story.shtml|publisher=Eurosport|access-date=10 January 2011|date=10 January 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710205416/http://asia.eurosport.com/olympicgames/olympic-games/2012/new-gaffe-from-blatter_sto2609564/story.shtml|archive-date=10 July 2011}}</ref>

There being no other nominations, Blatter ran unopposed in the ensuing presidential election and was re-elected for a fourth term, with 186 of the 203 votes cast. In his campaign, Blatter had stipulated that, if re-elected in 2011, he would not run again for president.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/925031/sepp-blatter-re-elected-as-fifa-president?cc=5739|title=Blatter re-elected as FIFA president|date=1 June 2011|work=ESPN Soccernet|access-date=1 June 2011|archive-date=4 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604131918/http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/925031/sepp-blatter-re-elected-as-fifa-president?cc=5739|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/8549452/Fifa-congress-and-presidential-election-live.html|title=Fifa congress and presidential election: live|date=1 June 2011|work=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=1 June 2011|location=London|first=Paul|last=Kelso|archive-date=2 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602135029/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/8549452/Fifa-congress-and-presidential-election-live.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Blatter received criticism for not postponing his 2011 election in which his term as FIFA President was extended through 2015, despite the fact that all other candidates for the role had been suspended or withdrew.