The Bahraini sheikh bidding to become FIFA president next month said that he would like Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore "to be his secretary general if he wins the election," according to Mike Collett of REUTERS. FIFA presidential candidate and Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa also said that he wants former ManU Manager Alex Ferguson "to join a board of advisers that he would set up." Scudamore, who would be offered the role of running FIFA's day-to-day business under Sheikh Salman's proposal, "has overseen the development of the Premier League into the world's richest and most popular" domestic football competition. Ferguson "was responsible" for ManU's dominance of that League, with 13 titles in two decades. Sheikh Salman said, "Richard ... is still doing a great job at the Premier League, and at the end of the day we have to choose (someone) who is ready to come in and take up this responsibility." In a recent interview, Sheikh Salman said that he would split FIFA into separate "business" and "football" entities if he wins next month's election in Zurich, and "saw the presidential role as a non-executive one involving delegating rather than micro-managing" the organization. Asked if Ferguson and Scudamore could be on his proposed advisory board, he replied, "Absolutely, they have the experience and the personality, everybody respects them and the work they have done" (REUTERS, 1/25).
LACKLUSTER: REUTERS' Mark Gleeson reported the South African FA said that FIFA presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale has been called to appear before the SAFA to "answer questions about a lackluster election campaign." SAFA spokesperson Dominic Chimhavi said that plans for him to meet the association's leadership on Monday "were cancelled, however, because Sexwale is overseas." SAFA wants him to "explain his campaign tactics and progress after backing his bid for the presidency and helping him obtain the five nominations he needed to stand in the Feb. 26 ballot to replace Sepp Blatter." The billionaire businessman, who is not a formal SAFA member, "has made little impact, failing to get an endorsement from the Confederation of African Football despite being the only African in the five-man race." This contrasts with Asian support for its President Sheikh Salman and "UEFA's backing of the Swiss Gianni Infantino." Chimhavi said, "The NEC (National Executive Committee), which is the highest decision-making body of the association, made a resolution at its meeting at the weekend that they want to engage with him to find out how his campaign is going and what he thinks his chances are" (REUTERS, 1/25).
