FIFA Executive Committee to Define Extraordinary Congress Date
The FIFA executive committee will define tomorrow in Zurich the date of the extraordinary congress in which Joseph Blatter's successor will be chosen, a decision in which there are also differences between the current president and his opponents.
Blatter aspires to hold the meeting at the beginning of 2016 and wants to extend his stay in power as much as possible. His rivals, mainly grouped in the European bloc, advocate, on the contrary, for a vote before Christmas.
New accusations from conspicuous sponsors and the beginning of the process against former FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb add more spice to the executive meeting just two months after the arrest of seven high football officials in Zurich.
Webb pleaded "not guilty" upon his arrival in New York after being extradited from Switzerland, but a detailed statement from the Caribbean, a former trusted man of Blatter, could shake the football world again.
The Swiss also recently showed ambiguity about his intentions to leave office, which earned him a clear reprimand from Domenico Scala, head of the FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee.
On the contrary, Frenchman Michel Platini, president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), has so far abstained from publicly pronouncing on the issue.
But it would not be a surprise if the former footballer presented his candidacy. According to the Spanish newspaper "As", Platini already has the support of four confederations: Europe, South America, Oceania, and North, Central America, and the Caribbean.
For the Frenchman, it would be no problem to secure the letters of support from five member federations. Four months after fulfilling this formality, the electoral congress could be held. So far, no candidate with serious options has come forward.
A day before the executive committee, there was a meeting on the program of the six presidents of the Confederations with the head of FIFA. In this context, Platini demanded two months ago that Blatter resign immediately.
On this occasion, the opponents of the 79-year-old Swiss would also want to get rid of him as soon as possible. However, if there were an immediate resignation, the institution would temporarily be in the hands of vice-president Issa Hayatou, also involved in scandals.
"For the Europeans, there is only one issue: the election of the president," complained Blatter, who accuses his rivals of not being interested in the reforms he undertook in the final stretch of his long tenure.
In the opinion of Wolfgang Niersbach, a member of the executive committee, the changes can no longer be applied by a president who has been in office since 1998 and is about to leave power.
"The presentation and implementation of a comprehensive package of reforms is something I see for a new president. This person could, for example, formulate their ideas at the extraordinary congress as a goal and present them for approval at the ordinary congress in May 2016 in Mexico," said the head of German football.
Blatter primarily proposed a limitation of terms for the FIFA president and executive members, as well as subjecting all of them to an integrity examination.
To support the reform process, Coca Cola, a longtime sponsor of FIFA, demanded before the meeting of the governing body of world football that an independent commission be created to clarify the latest corruption scandals.
Another sponsor, McDonald's, shares the same concern and assured that they are "not happy with the way FIFA has been dealing with the recent events, which clearly go against McDonald's culture and values."
According to the fast-food restaurant company, "significant changes" are necessary to restore trust in fans and sponsors. One of them will depend on the outcome of Monday's meeting at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich.