Sepp Blatter re-elected as FIFA president for 5th term

Sepp Blatter's long reign as FIFA president will continue after his victory in Friday's presidential election in Zurich.

The Swiss international won over the audience at the Hallenstadion auditorium with a charismatic speech before voting began. Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein pulled out of the election following the first round of voting when neither candidate won by a two-thirds majority, meaning Blatter will continue as the head of the world football governing body for a fifth term over the next four years.

Blatter's overwhelming 133-73 advantage in the opening round was too much for the Jordanian prince to overcome, as he decided to save the 209 members from parading up to the voting booths for a second time.

Blatter dismissed calls to postpone the election after several top FIFA officials were arrested on corruption charges Wednesday at a luxury hotel in Zurich by Swiss authorities - at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice. His steadfast supporters ensured the 79-year-old will remain in the position he's held since 1998.

"I like you, I like my job," Blatter told the crowd at the Hallenstadion auditorium. "I am not perfect, nobody is perfect, but we will do a good job together I am sure."

He addressed one of delegates' main concerns early on in his victory speech, likely surprising few when he vowed to go ahead with the World Cup as planned. Russia and Qatar are controversially set to host the next two tournaments, respectively.

"I will not touch the World Cup, it is too important," he said.

Prince Ali, the voice for change and Blatter's only challenger, commended his supporters for their fearlessness in voting for him before conceding victory.

"It has been a wonderful journey in terms of knowing you and working with you, seeing the challenges you have and I want to thank in particular those of you who were brave enough to support me," Ali told the audience in the moments before Blatter's victory speech.

Blatter's success Friday, however, could have consequences following Michel Platini's comments Thursday. The UEFA president said the European administrative body will reassess its relationship with FIFA if Blatter is re-elected. His primary threat was that UEFA could potentially pull out of FIFA and withdraw its countries from the World Cup.

The fallout started moments after Blatter's victory, as former Manchester United executive David Gill stayed true to his word and stepped down from his new position as FIFA vice president.