putting on his daughter's watch. i'm stephanie sy thanks for watching. the news continues next live from doha. ♪ >> announcer: this is al jazeera. ♪ welcome to the news hour i'm richelle carey in doha. coming up in the next 60 minutes. >> and i said that you have to leave. it was -- it was very sensitive on that. >> fifa's president must go. the head of europe's governing body is in favor of prince ali. visa says it will reconsider its relationship if fifa does

not react immediately. the heat wave in india has killed nearly 1500 people. and -- >> i'm florence looi in western myanmar where the government's plan to cancel temporary id cards threatens to leave hundreds of thousands of people in limbo. ♪ michelle mra tina has asked sepp blatter to resign but blatter says he is refusing. platini says he will support prince ali in the vote for the presidency on friday. this comes after seven people were arrested after being accused of taking bribes.

>> that was affected by what i said. he was affected. because i speak like a friend with him, and we work together in '98, when he wanted me as president of fifa on himself [ inaudible ] and when i said i don't know nothing about fifa. i was okay with the president. i need your help. so that means there is a long story with that -- with that. and i said that you have to leave. it was -- it was very sensitive on that. i said we will -- we are friends. it is difficult sometimes to be friends, but we will be friends after. and it means that after what has happened it will be a good friendship. he said it's too late. he said it's too late. he understood but it's too late because congress will be in some -- summer hours. and i know what is his strategy.

his strategy is to bring all of the congresses to have some speakers in the room to convince the people as usual to come vince them to vote for him and then he will see look at the democracy, the democracy of the most number say i have to stay and i will stay. >> andy this seemed to be a very dramatic press conference but having said that when you look ahead to tomorrow is anything really going to change? how do we anticipate this playing out? >> well uefa have always made it clear, particularly the uefa president saying that sepp blatter should have stepped down regardless of what happened in the last 24 hours. they think it's time for a change and they have been saying that for sometime. so the fact that say have said they will support prince ali,

shouldn't be seen as a huge surprise. what is potential quite -- a little bit more interesting is that they will be taking part in the vote itself. there had been rumors that they might boycott the congress and perhaps that would be one step away from uefa pulling out of fifa. in that would mean european countries not being able to compete in the world cup, for example. regardless of what platini or uefa say they have and 50 votes, and you need the imagine -- majority of votes to win. and sepp blatter felt there was a grand swell of support behind him. sepp blatter did pull out of an

earlier public appearance here in zurich. but he has just arrived behind me now in the last few minutes for the opening ceremony of this congress. he didn't answer any questions, but he is here. he had an emergency meeting instead with the six heads of the confederations of world football which is where he met platini, interesting two members of the committee wouldn't be there, because they are being held in custody. >> so andy while it seems that his position is most likely secure, does prince ali at this point have any leverage to still be an agent for change even in his role as vice president? >> reporter: well he's likely to lose that vice presidentsy during congress. he was one of the -- i think the

youngest-ever member on the fifa executive committee when he was voted on in 2010 but he has made it clear in subsequent years that he will not be controlled by blatter, and he is also not backed by his own presidents of the asian football confederation, who is behind blatter. so his place on the fifa executive committee is likely to disappear. he has a manifesto of calls for change. he wants more openness in the way the finances of fifa are run. one of the huge complaints about fifa is that for a body with such enormous amounts of money, it's still difficult to find out how much top executives are paid or how the money is distributed ash the world. so he has an open manifesto, but he doesn't have at the moment it would seem the required votes. >> all right. andy richardson reporting live from zurich.

english chairman believes that ali can be blatter. >> fifa now needs a totally different leadership and therefore, the most important thing for fifa is that mr. blatter steps down and someone else takes his place, someone who believes in transparency and honesty. >> now al jazeera's sports presenter joins us now here in the studio. very strong rhetoric coming from uefa. is there any possibility they would go their own way? >> we have been hearing from the chairman of the english football association, and in the u.k. in the media, especially it is an idea that has been expressed more than once. they were very put out by the fact that england didn't even get one vote for the world cup.

so there was a lot of bad feeling towards fifa and yet, a lot of figures there, pundits, media, football figures have said we should have nothing to do with this process and we should go our own way. this is something mentioned more and more often in uefa circles as well. now the big day is june 6th. they are going to have their own congress in berlin where if sepp blatter -- so michelle platini, in that news conference that we were listening to, if sepp blatter does win, they will discuss pulling out of fifa. in that would mean they will have to start their own world competition and invite countries to come in. one thing they have in their favor, they have the most money, the highest profile club

competition, all of the best players play in europe but asking the likes of lionel messi who may be able to play in a new competition -- they call it the nuclear option. >> right. >> we also heard from platini and he said look i want to be friends with him afterwards. and i think he would hope at some point blatter will realize enough is enough. and he would quietly step down and maybe save some face. >> public pressure is really what it is. >> yeah. >> thank you very much. not everyone is pushing for blatter to go the leader of russia which is hosting the world cup in 2018 has voiced his support for blatter. >> translator: this is yet another blatant attempt to extend its jury -- just diction.

>> some fairly defensive language from the russian leader vladimir putin both with respect to the reputation of russia and the reputation of sepp blatter. vladimir putin described the u.s. investigation as being nothing short of more evidence of the u.s. trying to yet again gain jury us diction of another country. and he said that this corruption scandal had absolutely nothing to do with russia. now it's important obviously to put this kind of language in context. analysts around the world are describing u.s. and russia relations currently as being at their worst state since the end of the cold war. obviously the u.s. and the west accusing russia of supporting separatists in eastern ukraine,

still very angry over russia's annexation of crimea ongoing sanctions against russia by the west. only last month, sepp blatter met with the russian president in sochi on the sidelines of some games, an event there. and mr. blatter said to mr. putin, that the russian steering committee the world cup steering committee deserved five stars in its performance so far. so a lot of mutual back slapping has there been in the past and now with respect to mr. putin with respect to his support for mr. blatter. key sponsors of football's governing body are watching this closely. names like adee does and

coca-cola, they bring in billions. billions. coca-cola has said this: a visa said: and adidas said: now bernard is the founding partner of reputation management. he said that sepp blatter seems to be only concerned about his reelection in spite of world opinion. >> the fifa reputation has been tarnished over many many years, due to allegations and scandals and corruption which were apparent to everybody, but what i'm a bit surprised is more the reaction of fifa today. it is apparently business and usual. while the world is saying this is a dramatic day, a terrible

day or football. so we're seeing two completely different perceptions. the world is split between fifa and the rest of the world who is criticizing what is going on. any other leader in the corporate world would step down immediately after such a crisis and due to the pressure of stake holder, shareholder activists, but there is no sufficient strong pressure on fifa mr. blatter to really make him step down and certainly that's an seem to care. what he is really concerned about is the power, staying in power, and getting his new presidency which i'm quite certain he will be elected on the 29th of may, this coming friday. >> let's take you live to zurich right now. 24 hours ago, top officials were arrested and now, as they say, the show must go on. the opening ceremonies really

pretty nice pageantry there. the election is tomorrow for a new president of fifa. we'll continue to follow all of the developments surrounding fifa. plenty more still to come in the news hour including, we're in northern bangladesh with the victims of human traffickers. i'm harry fawcett in nepal where the country's vast potential for hydroelectric power is seen as one possible route for economic recovery after the earthquake but the earthquake has also highlighted the risks posed with installations like this. and find out how the player of the season was up staged by a two year old. details coming up in sports. ♪ isil says it has kill 110

iraqi and shia militia fighters. at least 70 forces were killed in ongoing fighting and more than 80 people were killed in suicide attacks in fallujah and anbar province. let's listen to sepp blatter speaking in zurich. 209 national associations, 6 confederations a fair play flag the flag of the united nations, we are not speaking that we have more members, and the flag of the ioc, so we are all united tonight for the opening of the 65th congress of fifa.

let me welcome the swiss minister of sports and defense, my dear colleague and friend the member of the sitting government of zurich and coming in to sports the boss the president of the ioc. there are numerous members of the ioc present here tonight. but most important, welcome to the 209 national association members international and national association. naturally to our executive committee, vice presidents, and

members, to the confederations present here as well to the honorary members, to the [ inaudible ] of [ inaudible ] to the members of the democratic core. to our partners to the major representatives, to all of the guests and finally to you all, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends friends, you will agree with me these are unprecedented and difficult times for fifa. the events of yesterday have caused a long shadow over

football and over this week's congress. actions of individuals bring shame and humiliation on football and demand action and change from us all. we cannot allow the reputation of football and fifa to be dragged through the mud any longer. it has to stop here and now. i know many people hold me ultimately responsible for the actions and reputation of the global football community, whether it's a decision for the hosting of the world cup, or a

corruption scandal. we or i, cannot monitor everyone all of the time. if people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. but it must fall to me to be [ inaudible ] responsibility for the reputation and well-being of our organization and to find a way forward to fix things. i did not allow the reactions of a few to destroy the hard work and integrity of the vast majority of those who work so hard for football. i must stress that those who are corrupt in football are in a minority like in society, but like in society, they must be

catched and held responsible for their actions. football cannot be the ex -- ex -- exception of the rule, that is our responsibility at fifa, and we will cooperate with all authorities to make sure anyone involved in wrongdoing from top to bottom is discovered and punished. there can be no place for corruption of any kind. the next few months will not be easy for fifa. i'm sure more bad news may follow that it is necessary to begin to restore, trust, in our organization. let this be the turning point.

more needs to be done to make sure everyone in football behaves responsible and ethically, and everywhere also outside of the field of play where there is no referee, no boundaries and no timely [ inaudible ]. football the fans the plays, the clock, the goals, deserve so much more and we must respond. tomorrow tomorrow to congress we have the opportunity to begin on what will be a long and difficult road to rebuilding trust. we have lost that trust. or at least a part of it and we must now earn it back. we must earn it back through the

decisions we make through the expectations we place on each other, and through the way we behave individually. that brings me to tonight's ceremony. you have seen that the opening ceremony is about football. the spirit of the game the aspect of football that make it so loved by so many. our cast of artists and adventurers will bring the spirit live tonight, and i thank them all for their hard work in preparing for this show under these special circumstances. i'm sure you will agree they are great and talented cast and crew. it is important that we do not

lose sight of the spirit of football. i hope that this show will remind us what we are fighting for, and why we must continue to fight for positive change in football. even when some among us let us down. so please enjoy our show enjoy it but that i ask you also to reflect on why a vast majority -- we are all in football, and we like this game. not for gain not for exploit, not for power, but because of love of the game for this game to serve others and to achieve

positive change through responsible leadership. solidarity and unity has asked for the game for the world, for peace. thank you. good evening. [ applause ] ♪ >> and there you have it the first public comments from sepp blatter, the president of fifa as they begin the opening ceremonies of the 65th congress of fifa in zurich switzerland, 24 hours after some top fifa officials were arrested. let's go to andy richardson live in zurich. so sepp blatter says -- he says i can't monitor everyone all of the time but he did say the reputation of fifa is his responsibility. get us up to speed on some of the other key things that you

heard him say. >> reporter: i think a lot of people watching this in the outside world would have had a slightly raised eyebrow, if not a lot more. but as you heard from the applause he got within that fifa congress, the vast majority of people there, the people who are going to vote for him, they liked what they heard. i don't think anyone is expecting sepp blatter to individually monitor the people in football around the world, but for an organization that is so wealthy, it remains financially opaque and there are not enough checks and balances in place to find out how people are being paid or money being distributed around the world. what people are expecting is that the head man of fifa he has the correct checks and balances in place to run a reputable business and that is of course, in doubt at the mind

bearing in find seven of his top lieutenants are currently being held by swiss police. but he is calling on the congress to trust him to secure change over the coming months. now one of the reasons the u.s. justice department stepped up their efforts to bring about those arrests, was because they have been giving fifa the chance to do their own investigation. last year we had michael garcia, to investigate allegations of corruptions surrounding the 2018 and 2022 world cup findings when they were submitted, he disowned them and we are still awaiting the full publication of the garcia report. and it was the fallout from that that encouraged the justice department to step up their efforts which culminated in the

arrest theres the last 24 hours. fifa has been given a chance to reform themselves. and the delegates like what they hear. the vast majority are expected to vote for blatter as president on friday. >> all right. andy in zurich. here in the studio in doha raul sepp blatter said we will cooperate with authorities. i'm sure the authorities will try to hold him to that. >> i really hope we can pull up some footage of the congress four years ago, because it is exactly the same. we says i understand there are problems within fifa. i am the man to take fifa forward. he is going to rebuild the trust that they have lost. he has been at the organization for 40 years and here we are,

and it's mind blowing how he has managed to say the same thing again, and he clearly -- it's probably going to work. >> members will support him. >> yeah because he gives a lot of money and support to the african football confederation, to asia football and they will vote for him. so it's -- as i said it's the same old story, but he did actually -- one thing i haven't heard him say too much before he said -- he said -- he acknowledged that fifa has made mistakes a lot of people have lost confidence in us and we really need to look at that. and that's maybe a bit of a concession as to what has happened these past few days but the vast majority of that opening speech maybe some people thought maybe this is the resignation speech -- >> and you are sure he is not? [ laughter ] >> i'm not too sure.

>> all right. thank you very much. [ laughter ] all right. still ahead on al jazeera. hospitals in yemen are struggling to hope as losses mount on both sides. plus after the flooding comes the cleanup, they face a massive task in houston. and serena williams is chasing her 20th grand slam title. [ applause ] ♪

♪ welcome back. you are watching al jazeera. here is the headlines now. sepp blatter has refused to resign after callings for him to step down following the arrests of senior fifa officials. speaking from zurich he said these are unprecedented and difficult times, and he has called for change. the president of the european football body says he will support fifa's vice president to lead the organization instead. now some of fifa's biggest

sponsors visa and adidas say they are seriously concerned. coca-cola says this has tan initialled the reputation of fifa. the key informant in the investigation joins us live now. so how do they turn him? >> well he failed to pay his taxes and the irs discovered that and they confronted him on a sidewalk here in new york city where he works and lived, and confronted him about his taxes and told him they could put him in jail if they wanted to or he could cooperate with their fifa probe. and that was late 2011 and yesterday they unveiled the fact

that he then pleaded guilty to some crimes. >> how or why is it that the u.s. is the lead on something when it comes to fifa? if i could liken it to maybe the u.k. leading an investigation into the nfl. i know that's a bit of a stretch, but i think you get the point i'm trying to make. the u.s. was the lead on this why? >> well i mean there's -- there's a number of wire transfers that moved through american banks for one thing. the fbi does have jurisdiction to -- to pursue potential crimes that affect united states interests, and one of the things that we learned and reported in november was that chuck blazer as part of this investigation made some recordings some secret recordings of his colleagues at the 2012 olympics in london. they outfitted him with a tiny

recording device and they were casting a wide net. we saw a list in our reporting of that story, we saw a list of names they were interested in. and they indicted 14 people. >> do you think this is could be a turning point for fifa? just a few moments ago sepp blatter at the beginning of the congress used those words that this could be a turning point. are those just platitudes or is there season to think that maybe this could be? >> well i think regardless of what sepp blatter says this is going to change things for fifa whether for the better or not remains to be seen. it is going to create pressure and sepp blatter needs to lead that organization and for him to be able to do that one thing he is going to need to do is have a freehand. and if he is a potential witness

in somebody's criminal defense case in the united states there's going to be some limitations on the way he can exercise his power, so i do think it's going to change fifa. it's just too big of a jolt not to but there's still a lot of major institutional changes that need to happen. i mean you can look at the olympics in 1998 when the bribery scandal over the salt lake city games arose, and the ioc did make some very serious reforms after that. it took years, and it's not a perfect institution, but it is quite possible that it will change. >> and the investigation continues. journal journalist with the new york daily news thank you for speaking with us. many sunnis are angry.

they say the government has ignored them and the fight to retake anbar province should be a sunni-lead operation and not lead by the shia militias as it is at the moment. >> reporter: sunni fighters take oefrn the air base in anbar province. they are officially joining the fight against isil. the sunnis have long been suspicious of the shia government. they say it was sunni fighting forces which won the battle seven years ago to get rid of al-qaeda in iraq but after that victory, they say the government abandoned them. that lead to the rise of isil. this sunni tribal leader says iraqi government policies are going to make the fight with isil difficult. >> the current government is

deliberately not helping the sunni community to retear their province. the only solution is though arm the sunnis and ask for international help. there is no hope for this government at all. and the battle for anbar won't be over any time soon. >> reporter: tribes are suspicious because of politics. shia militias have been blamed for attacks against the sunnis. shia militia leaders deny carrying out revenge attacks. and the government is keen to show the latest fight against isil isn't about sectarianism. all over baghdad you will see posters like this promoting the iraqi army and popular mobilization forces otherwise known as the shia militia. the government says they are

about information. they are promoting the idea that the fight against isil is a fight for all iraqis. but just a few meters away political parties linked to shia militias have put up their own posters, highlighting the involvement of iran and promote sectarian language. it's this kind of imagery that has iraq's sunni population angry and worried. the malaysian government thinks 139 victims of trafficking may be buried in makeshift graves on the thai border. government minister says the smugglers avoided police by operating in inaccessible areas. >> the indication we see that accessibility from thailand the water supply from the thailand boarder was 200 meters of water supply that goes into the camp.

it seemed that militia is completely isolated from the whole camp structure. and then because this is on the top of a hill normally like what i said earlier, our patrol don't normally go to the top of the hill we go on the side because normal people don't live on the top of the hill. >> the people being trafficked are coming from myanmar and bangladesh. florence looi reports from western myanmar, and our correspondent is also in northern bangladesh. >> reporter: myanmar is the only country this woman has ever known. but she has seen her status go from being a citizen to a non-citizen. she has had to surrender her temporary registration card to immigration officials.

>> translator: i have already given it up. i don't know what will happen now. >> reporter: she used to hold a citizen shich card. but in the late 1980s, the government took this back from the rohingya ethnic minority to which she belongs. the government sees them as illegal migrants from neighboring bangladesh even though many have been here for generations. they were promised citizenship documents, but were instead issued temporary residency cards. they had some rights but now that is gone. this is one of the offices set up to collect temporary id cards. it's in a former school building. they are still not allowed to travel into town. they live segregated from the buddhist community. there were fighting between the two sides three years ago. it was partly this animosity that caused the government to

revoke the temporary card also known as white cards, with elections scheduled for november and a possible referendum on constitutional reform before that human rights activists accuse the government of pandering to a buddhist electorate. >> it's really to same to strip the last remaining rights and they are also disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of other people that are eligible for citizenship. >> reporter: but the government says there is nothing sinister behind its decision. >> translator: we will accept white cards until may 31st. after that those who gave up their white cards with start applying for national identity cards. >> reporter: many rohingya bought they will be granted citizenship. they say the government has let them down in the past. for now they remain a minority unrecognized and unwanted.

>> reporter: it's been six months this man came home. where he had been was terrifying. he was tortured in thailand by human traffickers. they beat him with a pipe when he couldn't give them more money. >> translator: we were starving and throwing up as well because of the torture. it was like our skin was rotting. i saw two people die. >> reporter: he was lured to thailand by promises of a better job and better life inplay sha. about 4,000 people have been trafficked from his home district according to migrants rights researchers. few families have been lucky enough to see their loved ones return. the bangladeshi migrants are trying to escape oppression that is economic. many people here have lost their

homes several times. >> translator: our research found that only 20% of those who left knew how to sign their names. that shows the traffickers are targeting uneducated people who are easily fooled. >> reporter: unlike the rohingya who spend days sneaking through filth and forrests to get to the boats, bangladeshis begin in a much similar fashion. they hop on a train or bus that will take them to the coast. often with little knowledge about the dangers that await. it has been six month since this woman heard from her husband. she is expecting her third child. >> translator: the last time i spoke to him was when he was about to get on the boat. and he called and said don't worry, i'm in good hands. i asked who is taking you? he said it's an agent. >> reporter: nina is due any day now, and the only thing that

keeps going around in her head is a question will their baby ever see its father? nearly 1500 people have been killed in a severe heat wave acrossin dee -- india. our correspondent reports. >> reporter: funerals have been taking place across the southern indian states nearly 1400 people have died there because of heat-related illnesses. >> translator: this woman died because of sunstroke. most of the people who have died here are daily wage workers. they do small jobs and have no financial security. the government needs to help them. >> reporter: this area has been hardest hit with the heat wave with the government putting the death toll at more than 1,000. temperatures have risen quickly and unexpectedly catching

residents in the region's hottest areas by surprise. people are doing what they can to keep cool. ngo's and local governments are trying to raise awareness about illnesses like heat stroke. but there are fears these public service announcements are a little too late. in other parts of india, hundreds of millions are also struggling in sweltering conditions. >> translator: i have to cover up well. it's easier for come people with air conditioning in cars these days. i also try to go out in the morning or everyoning. >> reporter: the heat is great for hi business. people are buying a lot more and drinking cold drinks to stay hydrated. >> reporter: here in the capitol temps have consistently risen over 45 degrees celsius. it had lead to criticism of the state of the country's infrastructure. the first rains of the annual

monsoon condition aren't expected to hit until next week and it will be at least a month until the forecast improves in northern india. hospitals in yemen are coming under increasing pressure as the humanitarian crisis escalates. forces loyal to yemen's president in exile say they are pushing houthis back on several fronts but losses are mounting on both sides. kim vinnell has the latest. >> reporter: blood stains the streets in what was a busy shopping district in ta'izz. yemen's warring sides blame each other for what happened here. civilians are among the wounded and the dead. amateur video from another part of the city shows the rubble of what is said to be a military commander's home. activists say it was once the headquarter of houthi fighters from outside of ta'izz. further inland forces loyal to

the president in exile are advancing under the cover of coalition air strikes. they say they are moving forward, but are still engaged in battle. the saudi-lead bombing complain is now in its tenth week. in the capitol, residents call for an end to the war. >> translator: this is shrapnel that hit working men. not targets or military bases. we must maintain our good senses. this was an attack on everything. an attack on the whole nation but fall are the women and children in the homes. >> reporter: the united nations says it is listening to those calls, and is trying to reschedule peace talks. as the war rhetoric increases, so too does the number of dead. kim vinnell al jazeera.

>> reporter: still ahead, sepp blatter speaks publicly for the first time since the outbreak of the corruption scandal. ♪

♪ severe weather continues to pound parts of the u.s. us state of texas, and there are concerns there could be more flooding. hundreds of people have been asked to evacuate after torrential rainfall that killed 15 people this week. >> reporter: heavy machinery brought in to clear the roads after the flooding receded, it's

a cleanup time in houston. and this is why. record rainfall made highways impassable in the city hundreds had to be pulled to safety as their cars were engulfed. >> i tried to open the door and it wouldn't open so i went for the windows, and then i got on the roof and then they came over and helped me out. >> reporter: houston is america's fourth largest city and nearly every part of it was swamped with water. and a cassette with a woman's body inside unearthed by flood waters. it was discovered by a man riding on his bike. >> i never found anything crazy like this. i didn't even know what was happening. >> reporter: they are still in cleanup mode here. this is a major underpass that has been shut down because it was totally flooded. i want to give you a sense of how high the flood waters went. they went all the way up to the top of this retaining wall.

people say they have not seen flooding this bad for decades. >> reporter: because of flooding 46 counties in the state of texas have been put on states of emergency. in the town of wimberley one of the hardest hit, 12 people are still missing. and people are on edge hoping it won't be another night of scenes like this. >> all right. time now for sport with raul. >> the man of the moment i guess, sepp blatter has been speaking for the first time since seven of his close colleagues and advisors were arrested over corruption allegations. he 79 year old spoke at the opening of the fifa congress. he is going for a fifth term as president, and speaking at the opening ceremony in zurich he insisted he was still the right man to reform the organization.

>> the events of yesterday have caused a long shadow over football and over this week's congress. actions of individuals if proven bring shame and humiliation on football and demand action and change from us all. we cannot allow the reputation of football and fifa to be dragged through the mud any longer. it has to stop here and now. i know many people hold me ultimately responsible for the actions and reputation of the global football community, whether it's a designation for

the hosting of the world cup, or a corruption scandal. we or i, cannot monitor everyone all of the time. if people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. >> well i'm very pleased to say i'm joined by an andrew in zurich. you were there for the opening speech. he said he is still the man to make fifa forward, and still the man to reform the organization. we heard all of this before specifically four years ago. >> we have heard it all before but this was a much sterner, resolute sepp blatter. i think this was a speech designed to sway any lingering voters his way tomorrow after

two tumultuous days. >> did he get a warm reception from the delegates? >> well the media were in an adjacent room to where he was, but from my understanding most people gave him a warm reception, but of course the real -- the real story is going to be tomorrow when he makes another speech a keynote speech to the fifa congress one anticipates perhaps another rallying cry, and then of course at the end of a pretty long agenda including the israel palestine issue, we have this anticipated -- eagerly anticipated vote. >> and the major news line coming out of today has been initially the possible boycott of uefa for the fifa congress that has been put to bed now, but was that all a bit of a

misnomer anyway because whether or not they were going to boycott boycott, they won't supporting blatter anyway but he has the support of other confederations. he has got this in the bag, hasn't he? >> spot on. it would have been counterproductive for uefa to boycott this. uefa are going to have a session of some kind on the day of the champions league final, a week saturday in berlin when our understanding is that they will gather together as many of their federations as possible to seek a way forward. now it has been muted that even withdrawing from the executive committee of fifa might be one option. i think that's probably a step too far, but certainly uefa

wants change and they want it now. >> so you would assume that blater is going to go through -- there was some talk that prince ali could push for some people to obtain from voting, and maybe have an election a few months down the line with a new set of candidates a much more democratic process, you can't see that happening? >> reporter: no not unless there's a concrete decision to postpone this election. if people abstain, so they abstain, somebody still has to ultimately win whether it goes to a first round or second round, i can't see the election being rescheduled unless there is some kind of breach of the statute. i think sepp blatter will win, but the events indicate strongly he cannot sit on his laurels. >> okay. andrew sorry to interrupt you, we have to leave it there. thank you very much for now. >> thank you.

and there's another full bulletin straight ahead.

we or i, cannot monitor everyone all of the time. >> sepp blatter says he can't be held responsible for the corruption scandal as fifa's congress kicks off. ♪ hello there, this is al jazeera, live from london. also coming up. yemeni civilians killed as fighting spreads to a busy shopping street in ta'izz. and the heat wave continues to kill in india,