FIFA Communications Head Quits After Making Sepp Blatter Joke

In a surprising move, FIFA announced today that director of communications Walter De Gregorio has “decided to relinquish his office.” De Gregorio has been FIFA’s front-facing man throughout this crisis—it was he who spoke at a hastily arranged press conference on the morning of the Zurich busts. But did De Gregorio actually resign? Or was he fired after making this joke on a Swiss TV show three days ago?

The joke, roughly:

“FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the director of communications, and the secretary general [Jerome Valcke] are all sitting in a car – who is driving?

“The police.”

It’s a good joke! It’s an old joke, yeah, but so is FIFA.