Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has revealed he was involved in a plot to over overthrow an African president in 2015.
According to AP, the 80-year-old has revealed in his German book "Sepp Blatter: Mission & Passion Fussball", the Swiss foreign ministry tried to get the then FIFA President to convince Burundi's president Pierre Nkurunziza to step down.
Nkurunziza survived a military coup after revealing he had planned to run for a third presidential term, despite a two-term limit. The 52-year-old had the constitution re-written and won the election. He still remains as Burundi's president.
Burundi president Pierre Nkurunziza on a bike. Picture by: Berthier Mugiraneza / AP/Press Association Images
"I proposed to the president, who is a big football fan, in front of witnesses that if it would be an advantage for his country and him, FIFA could deploy him as an ambassador for football in Africa or in the whole world" Blatter reveals in his book.
The plan never came to fruition, and has been partially denied by the Swiss government. "The intention was to contribute to a peaceful solution in order to prevent the current crisis in Burundi," the foreign ministry said. They added that Switzerland "never asked president Nkurunziza not to run for the office of president again."
Blatter left his position as FIFA President last year, before Gianni Infantino replaced his fellow Swiss in February.
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