CNN)FIFA President Sepp Blatter clung to power Friday, winning a vote for a fifth-term despite a week marked by arrests, investigations in the United States and Switzerland and questions about whether he is the right man for the job.

Blatter failed to get the required 140 votes in the first round of voting at the FIFA World Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, with 133 votes compared to 73 for Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein. But with the writing on the wall -- since Blatter would only need a simple majority of votes in the next round to prevail -- Prince Ali then conceded.

It's the latest development in an unprecedented firestorm surrounding soccer's powerful, polarizing governing body.

This week alone, Swiss authorities announced their investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process. And U.S. authorities unveiled a sweeping, scathing indictment against 14 individuals, several of whom were FIFA officials arrested in Zurich.

Just how did Blatter survive? There's no better political operator and his knack for getting off clean -- or at least without being directly tied to wrongdoing in the soccer world -- is uncanny.

Then there's the matter of the voters and their loyalties to Blatter.

Part of it is the system itself. There are 209 member associations within FIFA, and each of their votes counts the same. That means a vote from China, with about 1.4 billion citizens, carries the same weight as a vote from the Cook Islands, with about 11,000 citizens.

And, corruption or not, the FIFA gravy train provides quite a bit of gravy. The organization's executive committee members get $300,000 a year plus $500 per day for expenses. If you're on official FIFA business, you can expect flying first class and staying in five-star hotels.

The member associations benefit big-time, including $500,000 payouts linked to World Cup profits. That's a sizable chunk of change that goes a lot further in places where there are fewer people to share it.

No surprise, then, that many of these organizations -- especially in Africa, Asia and the Americas -- have traditionally been loyal to Blatter, given his commitment to divvying up the largesse of FIFA, which has $1.5 billion in the bank.

Sai sepp blatter


I swear dis man na apc




But bros u don too old na...

FTC o boi see change....hammer like to congwatulate me

Hmmmm. Monopoly of power.

Does it mean that no one else can lead the football federation?

Arrant nonsense

I hate sit tight leaders,,,,,,