FIFA: Sepp Blatter promises to fix the corrupt organization he's been in charge of for 17 years

x 2015-05-29 at 1.01.01 PM

There's something wonderful in the sententious pomp of soccer ruling body FIFA's elections, contrasted against a reputation for corruption brought to new grossness by this week's indictment of officials by the U.S. Justice Department and Swiss cops.

The latest: elections will go to an exciting second round after a challenger, Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein, managed to gain enough votes to prevent Blatter getting two-thirds of the total, the necessary threshold for a quick win. But "Blatter gains 133 to Prince Ali's 73" suggests a doomed resistance, given that only half the votes will now be needed.

"It feels a little bit like we're watching a terrible game of bingo," reports The Guardian's liveblogging team.

Update: Prince Ali withdrew, meaning Blatter was elected without opposition in the second round.