WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014 SPORTS Champagne’s honesty gets campaign off to rocky start LONDON: FIFA presidential candidate sation that runs world soccer. Jerome Champagne’s opening election Since leaving FIFA four years ago this address was going smoothly until he told month, he has worked as a consultant to a reporters at the launch of his campaign he number of FAs around the world including did not think he would win if Sepp Blatter Palestine, Kosovo and Cyprus. ran against him. His work in those areas has produced Champagne delivered a wide-ranging tangible results but whether it is possible reform programme on Monday but left for anyone to unseat Blatter, who has hint- many wondering whether he had been too ed he will stand for a fifth term after being honest for his own good. president since 1998, is open to question. The 55-year-old appeared to have for- The Swiss beat then-UEFA president gotten all the lessons learned during his Lennart Johansson to succeed Joao years as a French diplomat when he Havelange in 1998, retained office when he stunned journalists at his media confer- beat African confederation chief Issa ence. Asked if he thought he could beat Hayatou in 2002 and was then given a third incumbent Blatter if the 77-year-old Swiss term in 2007. decided to stand for a fifth term at the elec- Blatter won again in 2011 when Asian tions in January 2015, Champagne replied: confederation president Mohamed Bin “No, I don’t think so. Hammam of Qatar withdrew after being “He is someone of relevance and we’ll accused of being part of a bribes-for-votes see but it’s a very hypothetical question. A scandal in the leadup to the election. lot of things can happen.” Too honest? An There is no doubt Champagne’s ideas immediate own goal? Only time will tell. are well thought out and, if they were to be Champagne was then asked why he was adopted, would start to redress some of running if he did not think he could beat the imbalances in the game. his former FIFA boss, and also whether he He wants to embrace technology to would continue his campaign if Blatter assist referees, he advocates an orange card decided to stand. and the use of a sinbin to be used between “I don’t know what he will do. I am a yellow and red card, and has called for telling you I am standing but I don’t know more transparency in the governance of what will happen in the next four months,” the FIFA executive committee. said the Frenchman. Champagne seems determined to “Some people say I am ... being manipu- widen the debate to as many stakeholders lated by him but I am not. I am standing in the game as possible and has called for here on my own programme and I cannot an open, democratic election next year. answer a hypothetical question.” “The election must not just be a corona- Champagne is an intriguing candidate tion,” he said. “We should have public because he, in electoral terms at least, is debates in the congresses of the six con- not now part of FIFA, has no direct backing federations and debates on television for of any national FA and is funding his own viewers and fans to ask questions. SPAIN: Athletic Bilbao’s forward Ibai Gomez celebrates his team’s third goal during the Spanish League football match against Real Valladolid at campaign. He maintains that by the dead- “I want full transparency for this election the San Mames stadium. — AFP line of January 2015 he will have the neces- to push the debate forward.” If he does not sary support of five FAs, making him eligi- think he can beat Blatter, what is the point ble to stand. If that does not materialise, at of him spending his own money on a costly Bilbao thump Valladolid least he would have started a debate for campaign? change to run alongside FIFA’s own existing Perhaps Champagne is simply eyeing a reforms. Champagne is also unique in return to FIFA and another shot at the pres- SPAIN: Ahletic Bilbao climbed back above 82nd with another low strike and Ander Herrera tom on 16. being a former high-ranking FIFA official idency in the future. He is keeping that card Villarreal into fourth place in La Liga after Ibai nodded a fourth with four minutes to go. “We are on a very good run at home,” Gomez who was deputy secretary general close to his chest but the way the world of Gomez struck twice in a 4-2 comeback win at Valladolid substitute Valdet Rama then lashed told television broadcaster Cuatro. “We have between 2002-05 and has worked closely football politics works means it is also a home to struggling Real Valladolid on Monday. the ball into the roof of the net in added time often fallen behind but managed to turn the with Blatter inside and outside the organi- possibility. — Reuters Oscar Gonzalez stabbed the ball in from close after a powerful run through the home defence. game around and that counts for a lot. “The range to give the visitors a surprise 15th-minute Bilbao, who visit Atletico Madrid in the quar- team is in good shape and we are maintaining lead at a rain-soaked San Mames and Valladolid ter-finals of the King’s Cup on Thursday, have our intensity for the whole 90 minutes which is goalkeeper Diego Marino kept Bilbao at bay won nine of their 11 league games at their new very important.” until midway through the second half with a stadium this season and drawn two. Elsewhere, third-placed Real Madrid closed host of fine saves. Monday’s victory lifted them back above within a point of joint leaders Barcelona and The 23-year-old Spain youth international, a Villarreal, who won 2-0 at home to Almeria on Atletico Madrid thanks to Saturday’s 5-0 win at product of Villarreal’s academy, was unable to Sunday, into the fourth spot that earns a berth in bottom club Real Betis. On Sunday, Barca came prevent Gomez levelling with a clinical finish Champions League qualifying next season. from a goal down to draw 1-1 at Levante and from a tight angle in the 65th minute. The Basque club have 39 points from 20 Atletico let slip the lead in a 1-1 stalemate at Substitute Oscar De Marcos fired Bilbao matches and Villarreal are fifth on 37. Real home to Sevilla. Barca and Atletico have 51 ahead with a close-range header 10 minutes lat- Sociedad, who drew 2-2 at Getafe on Sunday, are points, with the champions ahead on goal differ- er before Gomez completed his double in the sixth on 33 while Valladolid are third from bot- ence. — Reuters Preview The transfer Season at stake as United grapevine seek League Cup comeback By Ahmed Al-Othman LONDON: Their Premier League title “Sometimes you have to think of the KUWAIT: It is the time of year when rumors fly defence in tatters, Manchester United player, and I did not want to be responsible around about an X player moving to a Y team, but it approach the second leg of their League for him getting injured by starting him in certainly has been a quiet mid-season transfer win- Cup semi-final against Sunderland today the game,” the Sunderland manager told dow. Each club’s hierarchy assesses their perform- conscious that it could define their domes- local newspaper the Sunderland Echo. “But ance by having closed door meetings with their tic season. Sunday’s 3-1 loss at Chelsea left he came through it OK, and we just have to side’s manager, directors and scouts. They consider David Moyes’s side 14 points off the pace in assess how it will be in the next few days.” if they should buy a player who’s going to improve the league and having been knocked out Although they remain in the Premier them, or an average player for a position they have of the FA Cup by Swansea City, United need League relegation zone, Sunderland have no backup for. The question is: Who do they buy? success in the League Cup like never markedly improved under Poyet’s steward- We have seen sides such as Manchester United, before. ship, losing only one of their last 10 games AC Milan and Inter Milan going through a rough It is a competition that United occasion- in all competitions. patch of form since the season commenced, and LONDON: Former FIFA deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne speaks during ally treated with disdain under Moyes’s “We are not afraid of anything,” said they are the ones who should be scouting all over the Hope for Football press conference on Monday. — AFP predecessor, Alex Ferguson, but the new goalkeeper Vito Mannone. “It’s a new game Europe looking for new faces. Inter Milan had been manager knows that he cannot afford to again, but the mentality is 0-0 and we need strongly linked with a “fan angering” switch pick and choose when the club’s fans are in to go to Old Trafford and make it to between their midfielder Freddy Guarin and Juve’s Governments must do more the doldrums. “We will try and do every- Wembley. Mirko Vucinic, only for Inter’s president Erick Thohir thing we can to get through,” Moyes told “You don’t need any pressure to go to to pull the plug at the last minute after the backlash.