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 "I am not a candidate, I am the president. And I want to hand over
FIFA in good condition," the 79-year-old told Walliser Bote, a Swiss
newspaper in the Valais region where Blatter is from.
The comments come a day after Blatter told Swiss daily newspaper
Blick that he had not resigned, attempting to distinguish between
stepping down and giving up his mandate at the as yet unscheduled
special congress.
A FIFA source later told Reuters that meant that Blatter still
intends to stand down as FIFA president.
In Saturday's interview, Blatter played down his lame-duck status
and highlighted the reforms that he hopes to push through.
"I will use all my strength and inspiration until my last working
day to bring this ship back into safe harbor," Blatter is quoted by
Walliser Bote as saying.
A spokeswoman for FIFA said the quotes were accurate.
Although Blatter has said on several occasions that he will not
stand again for president his comments about his intention to step
down in the wake of the corruption scandal have been treated with
scepticism by his critics.
"While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel I
have a mandate from the entire world of soccer - the fans, the
players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love soccer as
much as we all do at FIFA," Blatter told a news conference on June
2.
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"This is why I will call an extraordinary congress to be held as
soon as possible, for a new president to be elected to follow me,"
he said.
Before starting his fourth mandate in 2011 Blatter said it would be
his last term in office, but later changed his mind, saying that
numerous federations had asked him to stand.
(Reporting by Katharina Bart and Brian Homewood Editing by Angus
MacSwan and Greg Mahlich)
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