Blatter, who has been under pressure since FIFA became embroiled in corruption allegations during the build-up to last month's vote to choose the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, claimed that football's world governing body were more transparent than the IOC.

"Our accounts are open to everyone," he said while attending the Asian Cup, which opened here last night.

"We've [done] it since I'm the President.

"It wasn't done before.

"The IOC does it like a housewife.

"She receives some money and she spends some money.

"The IOC is, I would say, a club.

"In the 115 members of the IOC, only 45 are directly linked to sport.

"All the others, the 70 members are individually appointed members.

"If you need to know where in the world you still have princes, princesses and kings, then you go to the list of members of the IOC.

"You will find a lot of them."

In a statement to The Associated Press, the IOC responded to Blatter's comments by saying its finances "are sound, professionally managed and transparent".

The IOC said it has followed international financial reporting standards since 1998 and provided detailed statements to members along with public reports every two years.

"It is worth noting that more than 90 per cent of the income received by the IOC is redistributed to the Organising Committees of the Olympic Games, the International Federations and the National Olympic Committees," the statement said.

Blatter's attack may have been motivated partly by the decision of the IOC to refer allegations of corruption against Issa Hayatou, who is a vice-president of FIFA and also a member of the IOC, to its Ethics Commission.

It followed allegations made by the BBC programme Panorama broadcast on the eve of the World Cup vote that the Cameroonian had accepted bribes during the 1980s.

FIFA announced that they did not plan to take any action over the allegations but the IOC have vowed to investigate them.


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December 2010: IOC member claims conscience is clear over Panorama bribe claim
November 2010: IOC to investigate Hayatou as fallout from Panorama probe intensifies