The five men vying for the leadership of FIFA "made their final eve-of-vote pitches" on Thursday, outlining competing visions for the future of the governing body as it "tries to recover from the worst corruption scandal in its history," according to Evans, Collett & Homewood of REUTERS. Delegates from more than 200 countries "will elect a new president on Friday to succeed Sepp Blatter." Whoever takes over from Blatter, who ran FIFA for 17 years "like a globe-trotting head of state," will inherit a "very different job with a focus on crisis management." Jordanian candidate Prince Ali bin al-Hussein said, "The world is waiting and watching -- this is the biggest milestone in the history of FIFA. It will decide if FIFA goes ahead as we want or if it spirals down." South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale described FIFA as "broken" and a damaged brand, though he also referred to some of those "felled in the scandal" as "friends we have lost." Swiss candidate Gianni Infantino "repeated his promise" to offer each of FIFA's members $5M to invest in the sport over a four-year period -- more than double the $2.05M per federation provided from '11-14. He said that this could be achieved "easily" by tackling the cost structure of FIFA. Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who "along with Infantino is seen as a front-runner, was more cautious," speaking of a "realistic" increase in funding. Sheikh Salman said, "For me, if the numbers are right, we can increase -- but I am not ready to mortgage FIFA's future in winning an election." French "outsider" Jérôme Champagne "took a shot at Infantino's globe-trotting campaign" by saying the election had been "unbalanced." He said, "I did not have a private jet to visit you, take a photo and then tweet and say I have got the endorsement." Acting FIFA President Issa Hayatou "appealed to FIFA members in what he called one of the most important weeks in the history of global football, urging them to support a package of reforms on governance." These include "introducing term limits for top officials and requiring them to disclose their earnings." Hayatou: "I urge each of you to support the reforms in full here this week, and then to implement them to their entirety at home" (REUTERS, 2/25).
HAYATOU'S WARNING: In London, Owen Gibson wrote FIFA's acting President Issa Hayatou "warned the 209 members of the crisis-hit governing body that its future is at risk if key reforms are not implemented." The reform package, "arrived at following a convoluted process" that included submissions from Audit & Compliance Committee Chair Domenico Scala, and Reform Committee Chair François Carrard, includes the dissolution of the FIFA exec committee. Hayatou: "Each of these measures is critical for the future of FIFA and global football." None of the confederations currently adhere to all the elements in the FIFA reform package, "which is also designed to dilute the power of the president" (GUARDIAN, 2/25).
BILITY RIPS REFORMS: REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported Liberian FA Chair Musa Bility, who was "prevented from going for FIFA's top job" after failing an integrity check, said that delegates "must reject proposed reforms" as they would leave the president "powerless." Bility, "one of the most outspoken leaders in African football," also predicted half of the continent's votes in Friday's election would go to Prince Ali rather than Sheikh Salman. Bility, "wearing a red and white-hooped Liberia national team shirt under his jacket," said that FIFA was "putting the cart before the horse." He said, "These reforms send a very wrong signal ... that we will have a president who will not have all the authority of the president of FIFA. Let us focus on choosing the right person, someone we trust, someone we believe in, and entrust the organization to that person and then let that person lead the reform" (
REUTERS, 2/25).
CLEAN SLATE: The BBC reported FA Chair Greg Dyke said that reforming FIFA into a better-run organization "is more important than who is elected as its new president on Friday." Dyke said, "I think there is an opportunity for FIFA to start again." The FA has backed UEFA General Secretary Infantino. Dyke: "Hopefully we pass the reform program, we elect a new president and FIFA goes back to some sort of normality. The reforms are more important than who is the president. The reforms are about the way FIFA conducts its business and I think there is an overwhelming majority of people that want to support those" (BBC, 2/25). In N.Y., Juliet Macur reported FIFA exec committee member Moya Dodd is calling the reform issue "the most important vote in FIFA’s history, much more critical than the vote for president," which, naturally, has been "brighter and shinier and has commanded more attention because of the personalities involved." Dodd: "The reforms will alter the entire institution and change the way people view FIFA, for the better, and that’s exactly what our sport needs right now. The reforms must pass. It’s critical. It’s the only way we can start changing the culture" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/24).
BLATTER, PLATINI SPEAK OUT: In London, Ben Rumsby reported Blatter and UEFA President Michel Platini could return to football in time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after FIFA's appeal committee reduced their bans from eight to six years in "recognition" of their "service to football." Blatter and Platini "failed to clear their names" over a £1.3M suspected criminal payment which they were punished over in December "but also avoided a renewed threat of life bans." A "deeply disappointed" Blatter, who wants to oversee proceedings at the Hallenstadion, confirmed he would take his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Platini "mocked the reduction of his sanction, confirming he too would appeal to the CAS." The investigatory chamber of FIFA’s ethics committee said that it would analyze the opinion of the appeal committee "in detail" before deciding whether to continue to pursue life bans at the CAS (TELEGRAPH, 2/24). The PA reported Blatter suggested there "is a kind of conspiracy at FIFA" against Platini. Platini reacted to an "insulting" and "shameful" decision by saying it was "designed to prevent him from challenging for the FIFA presidency." Blatter "concurs with Platini." He said, "For a certain time, I've seen that there is a kind of conspiracy at FIFA, firstly against Michel Platini, so that he doesn't become president of FIFA. I find this sad." Platini "vowed to fight on for justice." He said, "I'm not going to commit suicide. I'm not on Lexomil (anxiety medication). My destiny wasn't to be president of FIFA but to be in the France team. I'm not a politician, I'm a football man. And today, I still am. But I'll fight to the end against the injustice, to be cleared, because I've done absolutely nothing wrong" (PA, 2/25).
