Calls escalate to dump Blatter as Fifa crisis deepens World body must replace him to restore its credibility, German soccer boss says
WORLD soccer chief Sepp Blatter and its European boss Michel Platini were suspended yesterday, engulfed by a deepening corruption scandal as their sport faces criminal probes in Switzerland and the US.
Blatter, the Swiss who has been president of world governing body Fifa since 1998, was already due to stand down after an election to replace him in February.
Platini, head of European body UEFA, was a frontrunner to replace him.
His shrinking election hopes now depend on whether he can overturn the 90-day ban imposed by Fifa’s ethics committee.
Despite their denials of wrongdoing, both men have gradually been submerged by the scandal that has rocked the world’s most popular sport, beginning with dawn raids and a series of arrests at a luxury Swiss hotel in May.
“During this time, the above individuals are banned from all football activities on a national and international level,” the ethics committee said.
Fifa said in a statement: “Joseph S Blatter, for the duration of the 90-day ban, is not allowed to represent Fifa in any capacity, act on the organisation’s behalf, or communicate to media or other stakeholders as a Fifa representative.”
It said his acting replace- ment was Issa Hayatou of Cameroon, the head of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and Fifa’s most senior vice-president.
In 2011, Hayatou, 69, was reprimanded by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) ethics commission after he confirmed to them that he was paid by Fifa’s former marketing agency, International Sport and Leisure, in 1995.
The IOC said such an action constituted a conflict of interest. Hayatou denied any personal gain or wrongdoing.
In a statement yesterday, the Cameroonian said he would not be a candidate for Fifa president in February and had taken the role “only on an interim basis”.
The soccer federation of Germany, winner of last year’s World Cup, urged Blatter to resign and called for an emergency meeting of Fifa’s executive committee.
“The future can only be constructed without the current president, without Sepp Blatter,” German soccer chief Wolfgang Niersbach said.
“That would be a sign of a new start and would be a mark for everyone that cleanliness was returning to football.”
If Platini is not able to overturn his ban and join the election race, it would leave Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan as the clear favourite, unless other candidates emerge to take advantage of the Frenchman’s troubles.
Tokyo Sexwale, who was imprisoned with Nelson Man- dela during the apartheid era and later became a politician and businessman, has said he is considering running.
Last week, two sources told Reuters that Bahraini Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation, would consider standing if Platini were ruled out.
The president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, said Fifa should consider an external candidate to succeed Blatter.
“They must do two things immediately: they must accelerate and deepen the reform process in order to comply with accountability, transparency and all the principles of good governance,” he said in his strongest statement yet on the crisis.
“They should also be open for a credible external presidential candidate of high integrity, to accomplish the necessary reforms and bring back stability and credibility to Fifa,” he added.
In further disciplinary moves, Fifa also handed out a 90-day suspension to secretarygeneral Jerome Valcke, who had already been sent on leave after being accused of being part of a scheme to sell 2014 World Cup tickets at a markedup price. He denies any wrongdoing.
And South Korea’s former Fifa vice-president, Chung Mong-joon, was banned from the game for six years, a decision which will almost certainly end his already slim electoral hopes.
Swiss and US authorities are investigating corruption in world soccer, in long-running probes that have so far led to the indictment of 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives.
Among others, they are examining the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.
All those banned can turn to Fifa’s appeals committee to try to overturn the bans.