[ 2011-06-01 ]

Sepp Blatter

Sepp Blatter set to remain as Fifa president
Fifa president Sepp Blatter is set to win a fourth
term in office as an election delay now appears
unlikely.

Prince William had backed calls for Wednesday's
vote to be postponed following allegations of
corruption.

But the English Football Association and its
Scottish counterparts have struggled to find
widespread support for their proposal.

Blatter is the only candidate for the Fifa
presidency as rival Mohammed bin Hammam is
suspended.

A spokesman for Prince William said: "The Duke of
Cambridge, as FA President, has been kept informed
of the FA's proposals and is fully supportive of
the Chairman and the initiatives the FA has
recommended.

"He considers the transparency of the
international governing body to be integral to the
good governance of the game."

Despite the support from Prince William, the FA
and SFA bid to suspend the election looks unlikely
to garner the number of votes - 75% of the 208
nations in Fifa - required to change the agenda.

Fifa executive committee member Chuck Blazer was
disparaging about the FA's attempt to force a
postponement to proceedings, insisting the move
should have come much earlier.

"Unfortunately with them, everything is too
little, too late," said Blazer.

"If they wanted other candidates they should have
done things before the deadline.

"If they wanted to report malfeasance they
shouldn't have waited for a Parliamentary
hearing.

"The FA needs to learn to be ahead of the curve
and not behind the game."

The FA had already decided to abstain from the
voting process but chairman David Bernstein said
the organisation was duty bound to make a stance.

"I think it was important that someone stood up
and make a statement," he told BBC Sport. "There
are some principles involved here and it's
important that if nobody else was doing it then
the FA took a lead in this.

"The fact that we've opposed something and taken a
different view should not mean that we are
isolated.

"Whatever happens, we have to be part of Fifa,
there is no question of breaking away, but we
would like to see better process in terms of
election and governance."

The election of Fifa's president is the 14th item
on the agenda at its Congress in Zurich, with
proceedings expected to get under way at 0830
BST.

The build-up to the elections has been mired by a
series of corruption claims but Blatter, 75, has
insisted that there is no crisis.

Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football
Federation, and Fifa vice-president Jack Warner
were provisionally suspended by Fifa's ethics
committee over allegations that financial
incentives were offered to Caribbean Football
Union (CFU) members.

Blatter was also investigated following a charge
against him by Bin Hammam, although Fifa's ethics
committee did not find that the president had a
case to answer.

Bin Hammam has appealed against his ban, while
Warner, who is also president of Concacaf, the
governing body for football in North America,
Central America and the Caribbean, also denies any
wrongdoing.

Despite the continuing claims and counterclaims,
BBC sports editor David Bond said anything other
than a Blatter victory on Wednesday would be hard
to imagine.

"I understand that the FA and SFA are struggling
to get support from the other home nations," he
said. "The Welsh and the Northern Irish are not
necessarily prepared to fall in behind the call to
suspend the elections.

"After 13 years in charge of Fifa, Sepp Blatter
has built up a huge power base inside the
delegation.

"One European delegate described him as superman.
The mood around the delegates that I've been
speaking to is very much that even those who are
opposed to him now accept there is no
alternative.

"The FA has left it too late and many question
whether they are just being vengeful after that
England 2018 World Cup defeat last December.

"It is very difficult to escape the conclusion
that Sepp Blatter will be re-elected but the
question is how damaged he has been by this whole
affair."

On Tuesday, Blatter addressed the opening of
Fifa's congress by saying: "I thought we were
living in a world of fair play and respect and
discipline.

"I unfortunately see this is no longer the case
because the famous Fifa pyramid is suddenly
unstable and there is a danger.

"On Wednesday, I will speak to you on this danger
that is lurking and tell you how we can fight and
work against this threat."

Source - BBC

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