ACTUALITE |
27.05.2002
IOC members step in to help Blatter remain in power
SEOUL
International Olympic Committee (IOC) members have been recruited to help win votes for beleaguered FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who is standing for re-election at the FIFA congress here on Wednesday.
Two European IOC members have confirmed to AFP that they are helping the Blatter camp, accused of corruption by FIFA general secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen, garner votes to ensure he defeats his only opponent, Issa Hayatou, president of the African Football Confederation (CAF).
Hayatou is one of the five-FIFA vice-presidents who levelled charges against Blatter with the Zurich prosecutor.
"I have been asked if I can help and I will speak to officials of two European countries mentioned to me to make sure they support Blatter," one IOC member told AFP on condition of anonimity.
He added that he had been asked to help by a senior official of his national football association after the official has held a private meeting with the 66-year-old Blatter earlier this month.
The news that European IOC members are being used for the Blatter campaign underlines the growing split in UEFA, European football`s ruling body, over who to vote for in the most bitterly contested FIFA election in history.
Although UEFA president Lennart Johansson, who lost to Blatter in Paris four years ago amid charges of vote buying, has led the battle against his former rival, some powerful members of UEFA, including Germany and France, have declared their support for the controversial Swiss-German.
Many of the Eastern European UEFA members are also expected to back him.
The English FA have switched from supporting Blatter, throwing their influence behind Hayatou.
The European split has been fully exploited by Blatter`s re-election campaign team led by former French foreign ministry official Jerome Champagne and Italian Guido Tognioni.
But Blatter`s biggest test as he attempts to retain the most powerful job in football comes on Tuesday at an extraordinary congress to discuss FIFA`s finances.
Blatter claims that following the collapse he has managed to steer FIFA out of trouble and that loses have been kept to only 36.9 million Swiss francs.
But Zen-Ruffinen insists the figures produced by the Blatter camp bear no resemblance to reality.
"The figures that FIFA gave out do not correspond with reality and truth," says the 44-year-old.
On Tuesday the 204 FIFA members will have to decide who is correct.
Supporters of Hayatou admit that the election battle will be won or lost at the finance debate.
"Everything hinges on Tuesday`s meeting. If we cannot show that Blatter is wrong about the finances then he will almost certainly be elected for another four years," said one campaigner for Hayatou.
One report that will not be before the congress will be the findings by the internal FIFA investigation into the body`s finances.
The probe, pushed through by the executive committee following a stormy meeting last month, was dramatically halted by Blatter.
Charges of a cover-up were promptly levelled against the president but Blatter claimed it had been halted because confidential information collected by the inquiry, headed by FIFA vice-president David Will of Scotland, had been leaked.
At a charged executive committee meeting in Zurich earlier this month the ban on the investigation was lifted but the group`s findings will not be known until later on this year, long after the presidential election.
On the eve of Tuesday`s extraordinary congress both sides were trying to garner last minute support, with secret behind closed door meetings.
"It is now or never," said a Hayatou supporter.
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