Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - A social media post from FIFA chief Sepp Blatter about how the world’s footballing body has “taken the lead” in ethical behavior has been met with derision by internet users, who have called the message a “joke.”

“Everyone in the global football community has a responsibility to act ethically. Football fans rightly demand this. FIFA has taken the lead,” Blatter wrote on his official Twitter account on Friday.

“Taken the lead? Seriously is this a parody account?” wrote one user, while another wrote: “1st sentence = true. 2nd sentence = wish it was more true. 3rd sentence = jokes”

Blatter’s message comes just days after a report disclosed that 26 FIFA officials attending the Brazil World Cup in June had received gift watches worth $26,000 – while only three refused.

Days afterwards, FIFA's ethics investigator ordered the officials to return the watches.

FIFA’s ethics body, meanwhile, has been investigating allegations surrounding a multi-million-dollar bribery scandal connected to the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar and the 2018 cup to Russia.

However, the findings detailed in the report will “never” be made public, according to German judge Eckert, the chair of the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee.

*Al Arabiya