FIFA Sepp Blatter
FIFA President Sepp Blatter leaves after his statement during a news conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, June 2, 2015. Blatter resigned as FIFA president on Tuesday, four days after being re-elected to a fifth term. Blatter, 79, announced the decision at a news conference in Zurich, six days after the FBI raided a hotel in Zurich and arrested several FIFA officials. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has told a German magazine he will “go to heaven one day” amid corruption accusations of the world soccer governing body. The 79-year-old Swiss said he has a clean conscience and those who calls him corrupt “should go to jail.”

Prosecutors from United States have charged nine current and former FIFA officials and five sports marketing businessman of corruption on May 27 over bids for major tournaments dating back 24 years. Blatter has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but his stewardship of football’s governing body is under-fire, which includes the controversial decision of respectively awarding Russia and Qatar the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.

“If somebody accuses me of being corrupt, I ask him whether he knows the meaning of that word. Whoever calls me corrupt will have to prove it, but nobody can prove that because I am not corrupt. If anybody calls me corrupt because FIFA is corrupt, I can only shake my head. Everybody who says something like that should go to jail,” Blatter said as per the Guardian.

Blatter has been resolute about not being involved in any crime after rumours that FIFA dampened his chances to remain in his role. The Swiss official is due to surrender his position as FIFA president at an extraordinary congress on December and March. With these situations unfolding, Blatter has turned on his Christian faith to help him through the crisis.

“My faith has given me strength during the last week. I am a religious person and pray, too. I own a golden cross that has been blessed by Pope Francis. I believe I will go to heaven one day. But I believe there is no hell. I disagree with the pope on that,” Blatter said.

Blatter will miss Sunday’s final round of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Vancouver, Canada for the first time due to “personal reasons.” However, there are speculations that his US lawyers advised him not to attend the game in fears of facing charges in Canada according to reports of HuffingtonPost.com.

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