FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced his resignation on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference in Zurich, Blatter said that he will lay down his mandate at an extraordinary congress to elect his replacement. Until that election, he will continue to exercise his functions.

The FIFA President also announced a significant reform programme to be driven by Domenico Scala, the Independent Chairman of FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee.

The announcement came just days after Blatter was re-elected as FIFA President for a fifth term. Blatter, 79, was given a new four-year term by the 209 member associations at FIFA’s annual congress in Zurich on Friday.

Blatter is resigning amid a corruption scandal at FIFA that has rocked world football. 

"I felt compelled to stand for re-election, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organisation. That election is over but FIFA’s challenges are not. FIFA needs a profound overhaul," Blatter said on Tuesday.

Blatter is stepping down after 17 years at the helm of FIFA.

The extraordinary congress that will have to elect his successor, is to be held somewhere between December 2015 and March 2016.

Blatter was re-elected despite the arrest of seven top FIFA officials two days before the vote as part of a US prosecution. Those arrested were charged with money laundering and racketeering.

Separately, a criminal probe by Swiss authorities is looking into the allocation of World Cup 2018 and World Cup 2022 championships to Russia and Qatar, respectively.

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