FIFA president Sepp Blatter publicly addressed the corruption scandal that shook the football world for the first time Thursday during the opening of the FIFA Congress in Zurich.
The Swiss international is expected to be re-elected for a fifth term during Friday's election. He told the annual congress that the world football governing body should be in charge of cleaning up the mess caused by the officials arrested on corruption charges.
"We cannot allow the reputation of FIFA to be dragged through the mud any longer," Blatter said, according to the New York Times. “It has to stop here and now."
"The events of yesterday have cast a long shadow over football, and over this week’s Congress," Blatter added. "The actions of individuals, if proven, bring shame and humiliation on football and demand reaction from us all."
The 79-year-old - not among those charged Wednesday - went on to outline why he's the right man to lead FIFA out of the most recent crisis to hit the organization under his watch.
"I know a lot of people hold me responsible for the actions and reputations of the global football community, whether it is the decision of hosting a World Cup or a corruption scandal,” he said.
"We, or I, cannot monitor everyone all of the time. If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. But it must also fall to me to be responsible for the reputation of our entire organization, and to find a way to fix things.
"I will not allow the actions of a few to damage the reputation of FIFA."
As the U.S. Department of Justice continues its investigation and Swiss authorities look into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, Blatter predicts the fallout will continue.
"There can be no place for corruption of any kind," Blatter said. "The next few months will not be easy for FIFA. I’m sure more bad news may follow. But it is necessary to begin to restore trust in our organization. Let this be the turning point."
Blatter will go up against Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein during the presidential election, and has received support from five of the six confederations under the FIFA umbrella. UEFA, the European confederation that contains the wealthiest leagues in the world, is the only continental governing body to oppose his re-election, with president Michel Platini putting his support behind Prince Ali.
Platini is confident that 45 to 46 of UEFA's 53 members will vote for Blatter's opponent. But he will need the assistance from other members if Blatter is to be ousted from the position he's held since 1998.
Earlier in the day, Platini asked Blatter to step down following an emergency meeting between the FIFA president and the six regional confederations. Blatter declined the request.