Suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter, his federation mired in a corruption crisis, is in hospital for medical checks but should be discharged soon, his US lawyer said yesterday.

His former public relations officer, Klaus Stoehlker, said the 79-year-old Swiss, who was last month suspended for 90 days by the Ethics Committee of soccer’s world governing body, was under “tremendous pressure from so many sides”. He said he was suffering stress but was at home.

Later, however, Blatter’s US-based lawyer Richard Cullen issued a statement saying: “Because there have been media inquiries, I am announcing that President Blatter is in the hospital for a medical checkup. He is fine and expects to be home shortly.”

FIFA has been in turmoil since 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives, including two FIFA vice-presidents, were indicted by the United States in May.

Since then, Swiss authorities have opened their own investigation into FIFA’s activities, and the Ethics Committee has suspended both Blatter and Michel Platini, the president of the European body UEFA who had been favourite to replace him, for 90 days.

“He (Blatter) is under medical evaluation, the doctors took him out for a few days, the doctors expect to him be back (in circulation) next week,” said Stoehlker.

“He is under pressure from so many sides and perhaps this is a little bit difficult for a man who is not the youngest... I saw him this morning and he’ll recover.”