Sepp Blatter in hospital after ‘small emotional breakdown’

Sepp Blatter is in hospital after suffering what has been described as a "small emotional breakdown".

The suspended Fifa president was last week ordered by doctors to take five days off work after having a medical evaluation for stress.

The 79-year-old had consulted a doctor after feeling unwell and, although no underlying problem was discovered, he was then told to rest. He has since suffered what has been described as “a nervous shock” and is likely to be supervised by doctors for several days.

“My brain and my heart are always fine, my body is letting me down,” he reportedly said.

Blatter's spokesman, Klaus Stoehlker, said: "He is now, at this moment, in hospital. He is preparing to leave on Monday and will be back on the job on Tuesday."

He had been forced to cancel an interview with Swiss television that was planned for this week.

Blatter is at the centre of a corruption crisis at Fifa after the Swiss authorities opened criminal proceedings against him in connection with a €1.84 million "disloyal payment" made to Michel Platini, and the sale of World Cup TV rights to the disgraced former Caribbean football chief Jack Warner. Suspension He and Platini are both under a 90-day suspension imposed by Fifa's ethics committee pending disciplinary hearings. Both have said they are innocent of any wrongdoing.

“His most important message is that he is fully preparing himself to go ahead with his fight against his 90-day suspension. He is deeply convinced that the ethics commission cannot force him out,” Stoehlker said.

“He said to me yesterday: ‘I was elected president by the 209 members of the congress and no commission can put me out of the game’. He’s fighting against this suspension.

“When I phoned him in the hospital this morning, we had a nice chat . . . he seemed relaxed, he said his brain and heart are working.”

Stoehlker said Blatter had felt faint at an event in his native canton of Valais and “felt that his body was not working as it should be”. He had received “many visitors, but I am not allowed to give names because it is also highly political,” Stoehlker said.

Under the terms of the suspension, Blatter is not allowed into the Fifa headquarters or any football stadium in an official capacity.

Fifa has been in turmoil since 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives were indicted by the US in May.