FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino's plan for an expanded 40-team World Cup "came under fire from two of his rivals as the campaign to secure the top job at the corruption-hit organization heated up on Thursday," according to Simon Evans of REUTERS.
Four of the five candidates to replace Sepp Blatter in the Feb. 26 election in Zurich "gave presentations to members of the CONCACAF confederation, which governs the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean, at an airport hotel in Miami." UEFA General Secretary Infantino's plan to create eight new spots in the World Cup "was attacked by both Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa" and former FIFA Deputy General Secretary Jérôme Champagne.
Salman "gave a powerpoint presentation of his manifesto" and when he discussed FIFA's biggest tournament, the words on the screen read "Promises of more World Cup spots during an election period are unprofessional."
The Bahraini said that "any changes should be well explained and gain broad support before being introduced."
Champagne "was sharper in his condemnation of Infantino's proposal." He said,
"My program is not smoke and mirrors. ... We know that organizing a World Cup with 32 teams is already so costly and so difficult. We know also that the international calendar is so complicated." Infantino "defended his plan." Infantino: "Eight more countries would be in World Cup fever. It would boost the competition and commercially it means more teams, more matches, more revenue."
The Swiss's proposal to massively increase the money FIFA "gives to individual federations for development and other projects was also criticized by Salman" (REUTERS, 2/12).
SUPPORT FOR INFANTINO: REUTERS' Zoran Milosavljevic wrote the Serbian FA (FSS) said that FA chiefs of 13 European countries that met in Belgrade on Saturday "have pledged unanimous support" to Infantino in his bid to become FIFA president. The FSS said, "Unified and unanimous support has been conveyed to Gianni Infantino in his candidacy to become FIFA president. There is a conviction that he is the best candidate to lead the world soccer governing body." The FSS "hosted a convention" attended by Infantino and the FA chiefs of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Romania and Turkey (REUTERS, 2/13).
SALMAN'S PLEDGE: REUTERS' Patrick Johnston wrote FIFA presidential candidate Sheikh Salman "signed an amended version of an Amnesty International pledge to end human rights abuses and corruption in the sport" should he win election to football's top job later this month.
Sheikh Salman "changed the wording of the motion," agreed with Human Rights Watch and other NGOs, and sent to all five candidates vying to succeed Blatter in the Feb. 26 vote.
The Bahraini said that "he had removed individual references to the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups, and abuses against women and LGBT groups, to ensure wider scope to his commitment should he take office." He said,
"If we make a statement about equal rights and equal opportunities, it is obvious that we must practice an all-encompassing approach, which include all minorities and not solely those that were mentioned by Human Rights Watch in their original Pledge. I am of the view that we must not be selective in any area that concerns human rights." Salman "has long denied claims from human rights groups that he was involved in the abuse of Bahraini players after the 2011 uprising in his country" (REUTERS, 2/12). The PA reported Sheikh Salman "denied the Bahrain FA under his control had prior suspicions of the scam that saw its national team play a fake Togo side in 2010." Self-confessed and convicted match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal "has been long linked with being behind the Sept. 7 fixture, and Sky News said it had obtained a letter purporting to show Perumal's involvement."
At the time, Sheikh Salman "was president of the Bahrain FA" (PA, 2/13).
