Proposed reforms to FIFA "would leave power still in the hands" of national associations and confederations, "shutting out players, fans and clubs, the world players' union said on Wednesday," according to Brian Homewood of REUTERS. FIFPro said in a statement, "Football's monopolistic structure will be further entrenched under the proposed, so-called reforms." An extraordinary FIFA Congress on Feb. 26 will elect a new president and "be asked to vote on reforms aimed at preventing further scandals." FIFPro, which represents more than 60,000 professional footballers worldwide, said that the reforms "failed to give players, fans and clubs the voice they deserved in the running of FIFA." FIFPro said, "There will be even more power in the hands of the confederations and national member associations of FIFA who have been the source of corruption and the worst crisis in FIFA's history." An overhaul was urgently needed "otherwise, we're faced with a potentially worse scenario than before," FIFPro said (REUTERS, 2/3).
ALI SLAMS 'COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT': REUTERS' Simon Evans reported FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan has criticized the global body's decision to "cut off funding to corruption hit Americas confederations," calling it "collective punishment." Prince Ali questioned Monday's announcement by FIFA that it had put on hold payments to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, "the two confederations that have been most affected by the corruption scandal engulfing football governance." Prince Ali wrote in a statement, "I have read reports that a FIFA spokesperson has announced that funding to CONCACAF and CONMEBOL has been suspended with immediate effect. Who is the spokesman; which FIFA committee does he represent; who decided that 45 Member Associations should suffer collective punishment as a result of individuals' bad actions; who decided to hold these votes to ransom less than three weeks before the election and who exactly will decide when the funding will be reinstated?" FIFA's media department "declined to comment on Prince Ali's statement" (REUTERS, 2/3). In New Delhi, Dhiman Sarkar reported India's vote in this month's FIFA presidential elections is likely to go to Bahrain’s Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, according to a source in the All India Football Federation. The source said, "Our stand has always been very clear. We would vote the way the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) votes and the Asian confederation is going to seek Sheikh Salman as FIFA president." Another Indian football administrator not connected with the AIFF said that AIFF President Praful Patel has "good relations" with the 50-year-old Sheikh Salman (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 2/3). REUTERS' Nick Said reported FIFA presidential candidate Tokyo Sexwale will seek continent-wide support "in a final bid to revive his ailing election campaign" at a meeting of African football leaders on Friday. Sexwale was grilled on Tuesday by high-ranking officials of his home South African FA, "who had earlier endorsed his candidacy in the race to replace Sepp Blatter" (REUTERS, 2/3).
VENEZUELA NOT SEEKING EXTRADITION: REUTERS' Diego Ore reported Venezuela said on Tuesday it "will not seek the extradition" of former national football federation boss Rafael Esquivel, who is detained in Switzerland "as part of a probe into corruption in world governing body FIFA." Esquivel, 69, who was also a member of the exec committee of CONMEBOL, was arrested in May last year in Zurich. The comments about a possible Venezuelan extradition request "followed press reports that Esquivel's lawyers wanted him to be tried in his own country" rather than in the U.S. Chief State Prosecutor Luisa Ortega said, "It's not true that Venezuela has requested his extradition. Furthermore, we're not going to request it" (REUTERS, 2/2). The AP reported former FIFA VP Alfredo Hawit has been released from U.S. custody in N.Y. and "will be subject to house arrest as he awaits trial on bribery and other charges related to a sprawling corruption case." An attorney for Hawit said that the 64-year-old Honduras native was released. Court records show Hawit posted a $1M bond package Monday after an appearance at U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. Hawit was interim president of CONCACAF from June until his Dec. 3 arrest in Switzerland (AP, 2/3).
