Confusion among world soccer officials and a "lack of clear challengers suggest it may take weeks or months for candidates to emerge to succeed" FIFA President Sepp Blatter, according to Jonathan Clegg of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, who was Blatter's sole opponent in last week’s election, yesterday hinted that he "would consider a second run." Dutch FA President Michael van Praag, who withdrew from the election, "wouldn’t commit to standing again." FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke "would once have been a strong candidate," but he is under investigation for a $10M transaction central to the FIFA bribery scandal. FIFA's setup currently "concentrates power" in the hands of Blatter and Valcke, so there is "no other obvious successor." UEFA President Michel Platini could be "damaged by his controversial admission that he voted for Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup, an award many fans view as absurd in light of the country’s extremely hot climate" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/3). ESPN FC's Gabriele Marcotti noted Platini will "have to decide whether to back Ali, present another candidate or enter the fray himself." Meanwhile, Confederation of African Football President Issa Hayatou "is another key figure here" (ESPNFC.com, 6/2). Marcotti said of Platini, "He's certainly become more powerful. Whether he's going to be a candidate or not, that remains to be determined at this stage. I think there’s no question he’s going to be to some degree a kingmaker. ... But he’s not going to be the only one" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/2). In DC, Steven Goff writes Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah is a "wild card." Meanwhile, U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati's "public backing of al-Hussein and subsequent conciliatory tones cast him in a positive light." Gulati's reform efforts "will serve him well, but the presidency seems beyond his sights right now." Many countries "will be reluctant to change a system in which FIFA spreads the wealth accumulated by World Cup profits." Whoever is elected "will have to confront not only a transitioning organization but one that might have to decide whether to order a re-vote for hosting rights" to the '18 and '22 World Cups (WASHINGTON POST, 6/3).
LIST OF WHO'S WHO: In N.Y., Andrew Das wrote under the header, "Who Will Succeed Sepp Blatter?" al-Hussein's biggest challenge "may be his perceived ties to Europe, but also a potential challenger from Asia’s bloc of Persian Gulf states." Platini "will surely be supported by the game's financial power base in Europe." FIFA is "more likely to give the top job" to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch than to Gulati, "which is to say that no American will get anywhere near the FIFA presidency in the near future." FA Vice Chair David Gill is also listed as a potential candidate (
NYTIMES.com, 6/2). Marcotti said Platini has "certainly become more powerful," it remains to be seen if he is "going to be a candidate" (
ESPN, 6/2). In London, Matt Dickinson writes Platini and other UEFA leaders have "set themselves up as righteous cleansers of football, but they provide some of the worst examples of fat cats hanging on to power." Dickinson: "Who does football turn to? Who can it trust?"
(
LONDON TIMES, 6/3). CBSSPORTS.com's Adam Silverstein wrote both al-Hussein and Platini have 3-2 odds to serve as FIFA's next president (
CBSSPORTS.com, 6/2). The FINANCIAL TIMES' Malcolm Moore breaks down the "line-up of possible candidates" (
FT.com, 6/3).
THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: SI's Grant Wahl said FIFA needs to "get a leader from outside the organization." Wahl: "Everyone within FIFA has had some sort of connection to what has been going on over the last several decades. A guy like Kofi Annan, the former United Nations leader, would be perfect to come in as someone with a great reputation.” Fox Sports' Alexi Lalas said, "Whoever comes in, man or woman, must be incredibly transparent and say, ‘This is our business, and this is how we are going to go about our business.’ They absolutely have to clean house” ("America's Pregame," FS1, 6/2). espnW's Kate Fagan said, "The best move that FIFA can make here is they can take a revolutionary stance about who they’re going to make president next” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 6/2).
