Sports FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015

Sponsors pile pressure on Blatter ahead of vote ZURICH: Sponsors piled pressure on FIFA leader to clean up world football as two major corruption scandals overshadowed the start of a congress yesterday at which he will seek a new term. The beleaguered 79-year-old president met with the heads of all six football confederations on Thursday, according to sources who gave no details about the talks. Amid some calls for him to stand down. Blatter remains favourite to win the presidential election today however. Credit card giant Visa said it would “reassess” its sponsorship of FIFA unless it takes immediate action after the arrest of top FIFA leaders accused by US authorities of taking huge bribes. While Swiss police are investigating the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, US documents indi- cate that South Africa paid bribes to FIFA officials to secure the 2010 World Cup. Visa said that unless FIFA rebuilds a corporate culture with “strong ethical practices” at its heart, “we have informed them that we will reassess our sponsorship”. Coca-Cola, Adidas, McDonald’s and Budweiser all spoke out against the corruption scandal. Corporate backers provide hundreds of millions of dollars to FIFA’s finances.

NO PLAN TO QUESTION BLATTER FIFA’s annual congress starts in Zurich on Thursday but its leader stayed out of the public eye as the corruption storm grew. But Swiss authorities said Thursday there were no plans as yet to question Blatter. DOHA: In this Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013, file photo, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, right, shakes hands with Sheikh “For the time being, there are no plans to question the FIFA Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, chairman of Qatar 2022 bid committee, at a press conference in Doha, Qatar. president,” Andre Marty, a spokesman for the office of Qatar is keeping quiet about the American and Swiss raids that have rocked football’s world governing body Switzerland’s attorney general, told AFP in an email. FIFA and thrown a new unwelcome spotlight on the tiny Gulf nation’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup. —AP UEFA, Europe’s governing body, has called for the presi- dential vote to be postponed and was to meet Thursday to decide whether to boycott the election. Pressure mounts on Blatter “These events show, once again, that corruption is deeply rooted in FIFA’s culture,” UEFA said in a statement. Some European leaders even renewed calls for Blatter to resign. “Sepp Blatter has to go as FIFA president,” said Greg Dyke, as FIFA scandal widens chairman of the English Football Association, which lost out to Russia for the 2018 tournament. England is among the major backers of Blatter’s only remaining challenger for the presi- FIFA president stays away from conference dency, Prince Ali bin al Hussein, a FIFA vice president from Jordan. But FIFA remain adamant that the congress and vote ZURICH: Pressure mounted on FIFA one another, just a day before Blatter is who accused the United States of meddling will go ahead. And African and Asian confederations have President Sepp Blatter yesterday as the cor- expected to be re-elected as FIFA president outside its jurisdiction by arresting FIFA offi- reaffirmed their support for Blatter. ruption scandal engulfing world soccer’s for a fifth term on Friday. cials. Asian Football Conferation members hold 47 of the 209 governing body deepened, with warnings Blatter, who has denied and survived alle- “This is yet another blatant attempt to votes in the FIFA election, behind the Confederation of from big sponsors and growing criticism gations of his involvement in corruption, said extend its jurisdiction to other states,” Putin African Football (56 votes) and UEFA (54). from senior Western politicians. in a statement on Wednesday: “Let me be said, adding the arrests were a “clear And both the AFC and CAF have said they oppose any Despite FIFA statements that it was busi- clear: such misconduct has no place in foot- attempt” to prevent Blatter’s re-election and delay in the elections. ness as usual following the arrest of seven ball and we will ensure that those who he had Russia’s backing. Seven football officials, including two FIFA vice presidents, senior figures on US corruption charges, engage in it are put out of the game.” The crisis has also shown up deep divi- remained in Swiss custody on Thursday after their arrest at the Blatter kept out of sight yesterday when he sions in the French football federation. FIFA hotel in Zurich early Wednesday. failed to show up at a medical conference. SPLITS IN WORLD GAME Michel Platini, the French president of Six of the seven have indicated they will fight extradition to The embattled 79-year-old Swiss national, As splits opened in the world game, UEFA and a firm opponent of Blatter, is back- the United States, Swiss authorities said. who rarely misses a FIFA-related event and UEFA, the European soccer confederation, ing Blatter’s presidential opponent Prince Ali US authorities said nine football officials in all were among usually stops to speak to the media, was also called for the FIFA Congress, and the election bin Al Hussein of Jordan if Friday’s election 14 people facing up to 20 years in jail if found guilty in the conspicuous by his absence on Wednesday of a new president, to be postponed amid goes ahead. long-running corruption case involving more than $150 mil- when he failed to attend a meeting of African suggestions it might boycott the event, but However, the president of the French lion in bribes. —AFP soccer delegates, assembled in Zurich ahead the AFC, the Asian confederation, backed Football Association, Noel Le Graet, was of today’s FIFA Congress. Blatter and said the election should go backing Blatter as “he did not know Prince FIFA’s chief medical officer, Michel ahead. Ali”. Les Murray of Australia, a former FIFA D’Hooghe of Belgium, told the medical offi- French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius Ethics committee member, called for Blatter cers: “President Blatter apologises for not disagreed, saying the vote should be delayed to resign as have the FA chairmen of a num- being able to come today because of the tur- in light of the corruption investigation. ber of leading European countries including bulences you have heard about.” “It would make sense to take a bit of time, England and Germany. Those “turbulences” included a dawn raid see what is true and not and then the author- Meanwhile FIFA’s blue-chip sponsors, by plainclothes police at one of Zurich’s most ities can adjudicate, but for now, it’s giving a many of whom have solidly backed FIFA luxurious hotels on Wednesday leaving sev- disastrous image,” he told France Inter radio. despite nearly 20 years of bribery and corrup- en of the most powerful figures in global British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tion allegations, appeared to be growing football in custody overnight and facing said there was “something deeply wrong at unexpectedly concerned at events unfolding extradition to the United States on corrup- the heart of FIFA”, while sports minister John in Zurich. tion charges. Whittingdale said “a change in leadership of In an unusually strongly worded state- The Swiss authorities also announced a FIFA is very badly needed”. ment, Visa Inc said: “It is important that FIFA criminal investigation into the awarding of Britain has long been a critic of FIFA and makes changes now, so that the focus the next two World Cups being hosted in unsuccessfully bid for the 2018 World Cup remain on these going forward. Should FIFA ZURICH: A demonstrator disguised as FIFA President Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022. which was awarded to Russia. fail to do so, we have informed them that we Sepp Blatter takes part in a protest against the con- US authorities said nine football officials Swiss prosecutors have opened their own will reassess our sponsorship.” dition of workers in Qatar, on the sidelines of the and five sports media and promotions execu- criminal inquiry into allegations of misman- German sportswear company Adidas said 65th FIFA Congress yesterday in Zurich. The FIFA tives faced corruption charges involving agement and money laundering related to FIFA should do more to establish transparent more than $150 million in bribes. the awarding of rights to host that tourna- compliance standards. Anheuser-Busch presidential election should be postponed after Those actions have sparked the gravest ment and the 2022 event in Qatar. InBev, whose Budweiser brand is a sponsor of football’s world governing body became embroiled crisis in FIFA’s 111-year history with confeder- Blatter did, however, receive endorse- the 2018 World Cup, said it was closely moni- in two corruption storms, the European confedera- ations now seemingly in open warfare with ment from Russian President Vladimir Putin, toring developments at FIFA. —Reuters tion UEFA said. —AFP