Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter rushed to hospital

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter is in 'serious but stable' condition after he was rushed to hospital on Thursday.

Blatter, now 84, was the eighth president of the governing body, and served for 17 years before a corruption scandal forced him out of office in 2015.

Reports, stemming from Swiss publication Blick, say he suddenly took ill on Thursday evening, and is in 'serious' condition - though it is not believed to be life-threatening.

His daughter Corinne is quoted as saying: “My father is in the hospital and is getting better every day. He needs time and rest.

"On behalf of my family, I ask for privacy".

Blatter has suffered from health issues in the past. He had to be placed in intensive care after his immune system shut down in 2015, and a year later he underwent surgery after being diagnosed with skin cancer. The cause of his latest scare is unknown.

Residing in Zurich, Blatter is banned from football until 2022, after FIFA's ethics committee found him and then-UEFA president Michel Platini guilty on corruption allegations. They were each banned for eight years, but that was reduced to six in 2016.

He has been a frequent critic of FIFA since his ban from the game, and accused the organisation of treating him like a 'punching bag' after he was initially suspended in 2015.

His feud with FIFA is ongoing to this day. As recently as December 2020, FIFA started proceedings to take Blatter to criminal court over his role in the opening of a museum in Zurich. The allegations are based around more than £200m of unpaid rent, and FIFA raised concern over 'serious irregularities' they say amount to criminal mismanagement.

Blatter has comprehensively denied any wrongdoing.