Sepp Blatter Promises Reform Ahead Of FIFA Presidential Vote

Sepp Blatter has responded to calls for reform by... promising reform, if re-elected. Specifically, he says he plans on changing the way FIFA awards World Cups, assuming Mohammed bin Hammam doesn’t beat him in the summer’s presidential race:

Obviously, Blatter and FIFA caught a lot of flak for ‘corruption’ in the wake of their totally evil and corrupt failure to not give the Americans and English what they wanted in December, and they’re wary of a repeat scenario. No matter who gets elected, they’re promising election reform, which in practice will probably mean FIFA keeps doing whatever it wants with better PR. There’ll also be an outside ‘watchdog’ body to monitor FIFA’s practices, according to Blatter, which can only be painted as good news. I give that committee eighteen months before people start accusing them of corruption as well.

Mohamed bin Hammam has received the backing of FIFA’s soon-to-be-ex-vice president Dr. Chung Mong-joon as the head of the Asia Football Confederation (AFC) attempts to oust the wildly unpopular Sepp Blatter as FIFA president this summer. Chung, who was expected to also challenge Blatter in the election but lost his place as vice president to Jordan’s Prince Ali, has issued strong words denouncing the current head of international football’s governing body:

If elected, bin Hammam has promised to bring changes in the way FIFA operates, especially in the mechanics of awarding World Cups, and the very fact that he’s not Sepp Blatter may be enough to see the Qatari installed as the organisation’s president. Despite the lack of support for Blatter around the world, it’s difficult to call just how the election will go, thanks to UEFA and Michel Platini broadly backing the incumbent. The influential Chung’s endorsement might just be able to tip some key votes towards bin Hammam.

Mohamed bin Hammam has been confirmed as the only challenger to incumbent Sepp Blatter during this year’s FIFA presidential elections after the April 1st deadline for nominations passed with only two names in the hat. Bin Hammam, who currently serves as the head of the Asia Football Confederation (AFC), has led calls for more transparency in FIFA processes, especially the elections behind awarding World Cup hosting privileges - somewhat ironic considering the notable lack of transparancy during the elections that led to his native Qatar earning hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup.

Blatter, on the other hand, FIFA president since 1998 and unopposed in the 2007 election, has run on very little except a promise to re-evaluate some of the decisions he’s taken on adding technological elements to the game following a controversial disallowed goal for England against Germany over the summer. He has, however, promised that, if elected, the upcoming term four-year will be his last and that he will step down in 2015 - presumably to allow UEFA head Michel Platini a crack at the FIFA presidency.

A day after word leaked that the head of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed bin Hammam, would run against Sepp Blatter for FIFA President, the Qatari made it official in a press conference at AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. Having led the AFC and been a FIFA vice president since 2002, bin Hammam will now challenge Blatter for the top spot of the world’s soccer governing body, a post Blatter has held for 13 years.

While often rumored and a constant source of rumbling in soccer circles, accusations of bribery and other unethical actions within FIFA hit the mainstream in the run up to the awarding of the host countries for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. Two members of FIFA’s executive committee were suspended for accepting bribes ahead of the host awarding and Russia and Qatar winning the right to host the world did nothing to quash any rumblings.