London - Michel Platini, the Uefa president, has a groundswell of support that could carry him to the Fifa presidency next February, including the Asian bloc vote that will be vital for any candidate hoping to succeed Sepp Blatter.
In another eventful day at Fifa House here in Zurich, Platini was told he has support from Europe, Asia, South America and the North and Central American regions. While that does not include Africa, a key factor, Platini is understood to have the backing of the Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, a major influence in Asia who has also wrought change at the International Olympic Committee.
Platini, 60, did not speak after the Fifa executive committee [ExCo] meeting here but he released a statement praising the reforms announced by Blatter. These include yet another task force and centralised “integrity checks” for new ExCo members. The former France international is yet to decide whether he wants the job, especially given his support for the Qatar 2022 World Cup finals.
The ExCo members were briefed in private on the progress of separate investigations by the Swiss authorities and the FBI into Fifa officials and the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.
The elections for a new Fifa president will take place on 26 February and Blatter was unequivocal that he would not stand for re-election. So far there is a mixed bag of contenders, including South Korean Chung Mong-joon; the former Brazil international Zico; South African Tokyo Sexwale and Liberian official Musa Bility.
Platini said: “We now have a concrete date, which means we can look forward to new leadership which will surely bring with it new ideas and new solutions. This is an exciting time for Fifa because we can work together to improve it and restructure it for the good of the game.”
There was farce when Blatter was showered in fake banknotes by the British prankster Simon Brodkin at the start of a rambling press conference, at which the 79-year-old Fifa president said that he would become a radio journalist after he quits.
“I will not be a candidate for election in 2016,” Blatter said, appearing to lay to rest the conspiracy theories that he had changed his mind over his decision to step down.
By the time he quits, Blatter will have been president for almost 18 years and will be less than a month short of his 80th birthday. He said that among the reforms would be full disclosure of Fifa salaries, although he declined to put a figure on his own.
Blatter played up the latest reforms, pressing home his point that he would continue to govern right up to the end. “This [the press conference] gives me the impression I am still alive. Sometimes I have the impression after the tsunami on 27 May [when the seven officials were arrested in Zurich]… that it has taken me away. I am still here.”
David Gill, the former Manchester United chief executive, was attending his first meeting, having reversed his decision not to sit when Blatter said on 2 June he would resign. On Platini, Gill said: “Michel has done a first-class job at Uefa. I have seen what he has done for Fifa from the outside when I was at Manchester United and then having been on the executive committee of Uefa.”
The Independent