Brazilian soccer great Pele says he stands by embattled FIFA president Sepp Blatter despite a corruption scandal that has plunged the soccer world into turmoil.  

As he arrived in Havana for an exhibition match between his former team, the New York Cosmos, and the Cuban national team, Pele said:

"I was in favour (of FIFA President Sepp Blatter's presidency), I was a director for FIFA, and I am part of FIFA, and it's better to have someone with experience."

The soccer world was plunged into turmoil last week with the arrests of seven high-ranking FIFA officials in Zurich.

They and a handful of others face corruption charges in the U.S.

Yet the scandal didn't prevent Blatter from winning re-election to his fifth term as head of FIFA.

It was a controversial victory. Many believe Blatter - while not charged - should step down, although Pele, the world's best known player is not among them. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.