Sheik has learned from the master
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is sure to win a fifth term by a landslide in Zurich on May 29, with his three rivals having made little impact.
The only question remaining with four weeks to go is in what order Luis Figo, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan and Michael van Praag will withdraw their candidature in a process that has allowed Blatter to limit his campaigning to cutting murky deals behind the scenes.
One of those has seen Kuwait’s Sheik Ahmad, the kingmaker for International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach and looking like Blatter’s chosen successor, manipulate the Asian Football Confederation rulebook so he wins a two-year term on the FIFA executive rather than the usual four.
This will allow Sheik Ahmad to put himself forward for a four-year spell in 2017, ensuring he can concentrate on becoming FIFA president in 2019 with his executive seat secure that year.
Meanwhile, only Blatter could write to Evangelos Marinakis, the Olympiacos owner and president, congratulating the shipping tycoon on his club’s fifth successive Greek title win saying: ‘I urge them all in Olympiacos to continue their work, leading the way on this path of success.’
This is the same Marinakis charged with leading a sophisticated match-fixing ring and allegedly arranging for a former referee’s bakery to be blown up. He faces a court date in June. BRENTFORD manager Mark Warburton (right) should not be short of offers at the end of the season after his excellent job at Griffin Park, especially after being told last February by the owner Matthew Benham, a professional gambler, that he would be replaced for the next campaign by a more data-influenced set-up. It is understood Leeds’s madcap Italian owner Massimo Cellino is an admirer and possible suitor. THE cost of parking at Twickenham for a Rugby World Cup match this autumn will be close to £100 — more than most fans have ever paid for a ticket to watch their sport. England Rugby 2015 blame the lack of parking space which is mostly being used for hospitality and sponsor requirements. SPANISH bank Santander followed Barclays in sponsoring the ‘Boris bikes’ scheme in London in a seven-year deal worth £7million annually. Now Santander may also succeed Barclays as backers of the Premier League, though the cost will be more substantial than for London’s bike hire project. The PL clubs want £60m a year, having already rejected a Guinness bid of £45m.