Pele: Time to clean up FIFA from top to bottom

(Reuters) – The time has come to clean up  soccer’s governing body FIFA “from top to bottom”, three-times  world champion Pele said today.
Asked in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde about  corruption in Brazilian football, Pele said: “There is some  clean-up that needs to be done, but not only in Brazilian  football.
“Now is a good time to clean up FIFA, from top to bottom.”
FIFA has been plagued by corruption allegations in recent  years, most notably with former Asian Confederation chief  Mohamed Bin Hammam serving a lifetime ban after being accused of  bribery while he was bidding to succeed FIFA president Sepp  Blatter last year.
Bin Hamman withdrew from the race and Blatter, who later  sparked a furore over comments about racism, was re-elected  unopposed for a third term.
Pele, who won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970, also  dismissed Argentine prodigy Lionel Messi as a potential threat  to his legacy as arguably the world’s greatest ever player.
“He is a great player. When he’ll have scored 1,283 goals  and won three World Cups, we’ll talk about it again,” he said.