Bahraini pro-democracy campaigners "have written to FIFA’s top sponsors to raise concerns over Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa’s attempt to become the president of world football’s governing body," according to Owen Gibson of the London GUARDIAN. The Asian Football Confederation president "has emerged as the
favorite to take over from Sepp Blatter at February’s election but the Bahrain
Institute for Rights and Democracy insists he still has questions to
answer over his alleged role in punishing clubs after the 2011
pro-democracy uprising in the country." Sheikh Salman has admitted that "he was asked to head a fact-finding
committee to examine the role of footballers and athletes in the
uprising, as reported by the state news service, but has said the
committee was never formally constituted." In the letter to Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Visa, adidas, Budweiser,
Gazprom and Kia, the BIRD "also claims the Bahrain Football Association,
of which Sheikh Salman was president at the time, suspended and punished
six clubs on politically motivated grounds." BIRD Dir of Advocacy Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei said, "We hope FIFA’s sponsors consider our letter very seriously and
respond immediately and appropriately. Sheikh Salman led the politicized punishment of clubs and denies
the torture Bahraini players underwent" (GUARDIAN, 1/22).
FIFA FAVORITE: In London, Oliver Kay wrote the bookmakers suggest that the "favorite is Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, of Jordan." Those in FIFA circles, though, "tell a different story: that, barring something dramatic between now and February 26, Blatter’s successor will be Sheikh Salman, "whose candidacy, backed by much of Asia and Africa, has set alarm bells ringing elsewhere."
Could FIFA "really be about to step out of the frying pan and into the fire?" Well, "consider first of all that Sheikh Salman was a fervent Blatter loyalist." When Prince Ali, 40, campaigned for a more democratic AFC structure in '14, Sheikh Salman, "calling on Blatter’s support, defeated the motion, strengthening his own power base and leaving his opponent isolated." Far "worse, consider that Sheikh Salman is embroiled in allegations surrounding human-rights abuses in Bahrain." Sheikh Salman denied these allegations, calling them "false, nasty lies." Nicholas McGeehan, Gulf researcher for Human Rights Watch, suggested that "it would seem like an act of institutional suicide" for FIFA to elect Sheikh Salman. This "concerns not only the allegations about human rights in Bahrain, but also very real concerns about his commitment to the ideals -- democracy, transparency, accountability -- that are crucial to any attempts" to rebuild FIFA's lost credibility. Jaimie Fuller, the sports ethics campaigner who co-founded the New FIFA Now group, said, "When you consider not just the human-rights abuse allegations in Bahrain in 2011 and the actions thereafter, which he has denied, the mere fact that Sheikh Salman is considered a front-runner for the FIFA presidency shows the farcical nature of the FIFA system. There is no way Sheikh Salman should even be considered" (LONDON TIMES, 1/23).
