U.S. Soccer chief 'disappointed' in FIFA election

By Steve Ginsburg WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of U.S. Soccer said he was "disappointed" that Sepp Blatter was re-elected on Friday as president of FIFA but added he would continue to seek "meaningful change" within the embattled organization. Blatter, 79, secured a fifth term after Jordan's Prince Ali bin Al Hussein conceded defeat in the vote at the annual congress of world soccer's governing body in Zurich. "While we are disappointed in the result of the election, we will continue to push for meaningful change within FIFA," U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said in a statement. "Our goal is for governance of FIFA that is responsible, accountable, transparent and focused solely on the best interests of the game." Voting was due to go to a second round after neither candidate got two thirds of the vote in the first round. Blatter received 133 votes and Prince Ali got 73. Blatter's victory came despite demands that he quit in the face of a bribery scandal being investigated by U.S., Swiss and other law enforcement agencies that has ensnared FIFA into the deepest crisis in its 111-year history. Gulati, who backed Prince Ali in the election, said that change was what "FIFA needs and deserves, and what the people who love our game around the world demand". He added: "It is our hope (Blatter) will make reform his number one priority to ensure the integrity of the sport across the world." The U.S. Justice Department has accused top FIFA figures and sports executives of corruption, while Switzerland is looking into the award of the next World Cup finals to Russia and Qatar. Qatar's successful bid to host the World Cup has been mired in controversy due to allegations of corruption in the selection process, along with the country's baking summertime heat and its treatment of migrant laborers. The United States, which last hosted the World Cup in 1994, has expressed an interest in hosting the 2026 edition but has not yet formally applied. Alexi Lalas, a defender who had 96 caps for the U.S. national team before retiring in 2002, did not believe the possibility of lingering resentment over the U.S.-led corruption investigation would hurt American chances to land the world's biggest sporting event. He said the money a U.S. World Cup would generate would "mitigate some of the personal feelings" against an American bid. "When it comes down to dollars and cents, nothing is going to make as much as a U.S. World Cup," Lalas told Reuters. "To have that moment, and to have that windfall, would look good. "The history and the memory of who voted for whom can take a backseat at that point to the potential for making an incredible amount of money." (Additional reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Ian Chadband)