"Those will be the last four years I aspire to.”
Sepp Blatter was clear in his message when he
addressed the Uefa Congress in Paris in 2011. But as his
supposedly final term edges towards its end, the Fifa
president has caused uproar among his European
audience by admitting he is set to go back on his word.
In what was described as a ‘tense’ showdown in Sao
Paulo on Tuesday, Uefa Executive Committee (ExCo)
member Michael van Praag openly challenged Blatter,
demanding that he step down ahead of next summer’s
presidential elections as he had originally promised. The
Dutch FA chief found many an ally in the room, with
several European heads later telling the world’s press
that Fifa needs a change of leadership to save its image.
With the world game’s governing body coming under
such scrutiny amid evidence of bribery and corruption,
as well as its mishandling of successive World Cups and
Blatter’s ill-judged attempts this week to deflect criticism
of the Qatar 2022 World Cup award with claims of
racism, the fall out promises to be as bloody and
monumental as Custer’s Last Stand.
For the moment, the Swiss appears still to have an army
of some strength fighting his battles for him, with many
national chiefs outside of Europe continuing to back
Blatter. The promise of increased bonuses from World
Cup profits to Africa means the president could yet
persuade traditional allies to stick by him.
But much appears to rest on the result of US attorney
Michael Garcia’s investigation into corruption
allegations, which he is expected to report in July.
Should the report support evidence of malpractice, or if
Garcia is adjudged not to have delved deeply enough
into issues brought to the surface by the Sunday Times’
recent expose, then Blatter could well find himself
swamped by the opposition to his continued
employment at Fifa House.
Former Uefa president Lennart Johansson, who lost out
to Blatter in the 1998 ballot, is another who has called
for the 78-year-old not to renege on his pledge of three
years ago, and general support from Europe for the Fifa
chief is noticeable by its absence.
Of the 209 member associations of Fifa, 53 come from
within Uefa’s boundaries. Widespread opposition to
Blatter in Europe represent a huge blow for the Swiss’
re-election hopes.
”My personal view is he should have stayed with his
comment back in 2011,” Uefa ExCo member David Gill
told reporters on Tuesday.
"I think he has done some good work over the
years. He is looking at the governance structures and
what needs to be done going forward.
"However, you can change the structure but unless you
have the right people within it, the structure is
irrelevant.”
The fear among European football dignitaries is that Fifa
is becoming unfit for purpose, with Blatter no longer
the symbol of reform but rather the evidence that the
footballing world is being held back.
It was Blatter who said in Paris back in 2011 that Fifa
would have a “zero tolerance” policy in the fight against
corruption.
Three years on, his misguided approach to such thorny
subjects is just one of the reasons over a quarter of the
electorate are openly calling for his head.
Uefa are heavily armed for Blatter’s Last Stand, with
football’s own Battle of Little Bighorn set to be long and
arduous.
SOURCE - Goal.com
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