The FA is "fully behind UEFA’s intention to put up a candidate to fight Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency in next year’s election," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. The FA believes that "anything is better than Blatter, 78, being handed a fifth term in office and will support whoever UEFA decide should stand." The FA stance "is similar to their position during the last FIFA election in 2011." Blatter, who "is likely to announce he wants to carry on at the FIFA congress in Sao Paulo after receiving stage-managed endorsements from a number of confederation leaders, is almost certain to win with many votes already in the bag" (DAILY MAIL, 5/26).
BLATTER PERCEPTION: The AP wrote the two sides of Blatter "are on display." He is "acclaimed by world football leaders but held in contempt by many football fans." When Blatter appears on a public stage "he faces inevitable boos and jeers -- just as at previous World Cups and the Confederations Cup held in Brazil last June." The fact FIFA pays no tax to Brazil's public finances from its $4B revenue for broadcasting and commercial deals tied to the 2014 World Cup "is an added provocation." Blatter, who "often travels and is feted like a head of state, is a useful target for social activists and for soccer fans familiar with the corruption cases that have involved some of its senior officials in recent years" (AP, 5/27).
