FIFA President Sepp Blatter was
re-elected to a fourth term as head of soccer’s governing body with 92
percent of the ballots cast on Wednesday, overcoming attempts to delay the vote
because of corruption investigations.
Blatter got
186 of the 203 votes, with another five people not voting at FIFA’s
congress in Zurich. The Swiss was the lone candidate in the election for
the four-year post after his opponent Mohamed Bin Hammam withdrew last
weekend.
Blatter
defeated an attempt by England’s Football Association to delay the
vote. FIFA has been hurt by scandals during Blatter’s term. Bin Hammam
was suspended alongside FIFA Vice President Jack Warner following
allegations the duo conspired to buy votes.
Warner and Bin Hammam deny
wrongdoing. Two executives in the selection of the 2018 and 2022 hosts
were removed before the vote for Russia and Qatar following a newspaper
report that they had offered to sell their support.
“We will put
FIFA’s ship back on the right course in clear transparent waters,”
Blatter said after the election. “We will need some time: we cannot do
it from one day to the next.”
The
75-year-old has pledged to open up the voting on World Cup hosts to the
entire 208-member congress instead of the 24- member executive
committee, which has decided the locations in the past. He also said
he’ll reinforce FIFA’s disciplinary bodies.
The scandals
have roiled the sport and increased pressure for reform on FIFA, which
generates $4 billion from the World Cup. The issues have concerned
sponsors that pay it $343 million to be associated with the World Cup,
the most-watched sporting event.
Visa Inc.,
the biggest bank card network, and airline Emirates yesterday joined
Coca-Cola Co. and Adidas AG, to voice their concerns. Visa said, “the
current situation is clearly not good for the game and we ask that FIFA
take all necessary steps to resolve the concerns that have been raised.”
Theo
Zwanziger, president of the German soccer federation, said on the
organization’s website that FIFA “needs to take a closer look” at the
decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. Warner two days ago
revealed an e-mail sent to him by FIFA’s General Secretary Jerome Valcke
that suggested Qatar “bought” the rights. On May 30, the Persian Gulf
nation’s bid team said it ‘categorically’ denied any wrongdoing.
Bin Hammam,
the Qatari head of soccer in Asia, withdrew his candidacy for the
presidency amid accusations he tried to bribe Caribbean officials with
$40,000 each in cash to vote for him.
England’s
Football Association chairman David Bernstein took the stage to call for
the vote to be delayed because “coronation without an opponent provides
a flawed mandate.” He said the pause could allow a reforming candidate
the opportunity to stand against Blatter.
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