Blatter claims role in trying to remove African president

Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter was asked by the Swiss foreign ministry last year to help persuade an African president to leave office.  Blatter offered Burundi president Pierre Nkurunziza an ambassador’s role in world football as the nation fell into violent turmoil, according to his new book, which was launched on Thursday. The intervention was supported by the United States, he claims.  After Nkurunziza said last April that he wanted an unconstitutional third presidential term, a bloody military coup failed to remove him. Blatter, who resigned in June days after being elected for a fifth presidential term, said his offer to Nkurunziza followed an approach by Yves Rossier, the state secretary of the foreign ministry.  “I proposed to the president [Nkurunziza], 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,” ...