Despite the dawn raids and the arrest of a number of FIFA officials on charges of bribery, money laundering and corruption, Sepp Blatter has defied the scandal to win a fifth term as President of FIFA.
Rival, Prince Ali bin Al Hussein pulled out after the first round of voting went 133-73 in favour of Blatter – four votes short of a two-thirds majority. Most of those votes, it seems came from the strong African and Asian Confederations that require FIFA funding for their existence and development.
Since Blatter came to power in 1998, FIFA has provided funding for “essential football projects” on the dark continent including pitches, technical centres, youth academies and other infrastructure all in the name of development and this comes at a price. Not a monetary one, but a vote of support like the one fashioned last night in Zurich.
Africa and Asia command 100 votes of the 209 available. In essence, having their support virtually guarantees election for the FIFA Presidency, a ploy repeatedly used by Blatter.
“Without Blatter we wouldn’t enjoy all the benefits we enjoy today from FIFA what Blatter pushes is equity, fairness and equality among the nations. We don’t want to experiment,” said Amaju Pinnick, newly elected president of the Nigerian Football Federation.
Closer to home, Football Federation Australia (FFA) voted for Sepp Blatter’s rival Jordanian Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein after the latest corruption scandal. Despite being caught up in alleged bribery allegations themselves, it is pleasing to see the FFA hierarchy demonstrating ethical behaviour on this occasion.
Speaking to Ian Holmes, CEO of Canterbury Football Soccer Association and former Football NSW executive, he said he supported Frank Lowy’s decision stating that “FIFA Leadership is morally bankrupt and ethically destitute”.
The Asian Football Confederation have always been a strong supporter of Blatter and Lowy’s decision to go outside their influence could weaken an already shaky relationship. A number of Asian nations have declared their continued disappointment in Australia’s inclusion in the AFC.
Britain’s Football Association and UEFA’s Michel Platini are experimenting with the idea of boycotting future World Cups if Blatter doesn’t resign, but this could be chopping off their nose to spite their face.
It appears that the Asian and African continents holding such power in football is truly undemocratic and some have called for these areas to be split to reduce the voting power that they possess. However, Sepp Blatter may have something to say about this.
“I know many people hold me responsible. I cannot monitor everyone all the time. If people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it,” Blatter said.
In his acceptance speech, Sepp Blatter replied that he couldn’t leave all of a sudden and reiterated that he was the man to ‘fix this mess’. This is not the first time the FIFA President has gone back on promises and it surely will not be the last.
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