Yahoo Sports Sepp Blatter: The unfavourable man who is poised to stay as FIFA's unpopular leader
The FIFA presidential election takes place on May 29. As with any election campaign, there's plenty of talking, lots of posturing but very little in the way of details.
It's a mixed field. Prince Ali Bin al-Hussein is a 39-year-old vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation and heads up the Jordanian Football Association. Michael van Praag, 67, is president of the Dutch Football Association, a former chairman of the iconic Ajax Amsterdam club and a member of UEFA's executive committee. Luis Figo, 42, is a legendary Portuguese ex-pro who played for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan during a storied career but who offers minimal administrative experience. All three carry the support of European governing body UEFA and its president Michel Platini. But therein lies the biggest problem.
Sepp Blatter sits on the naughty step. He's been FIFA president since 1998 and is seen as a symbol for the many scandals that have stained soccer's reputation in recent years. But, somehow, he's survived. The organization has been ripe for revolution long before now, yet there's been a scarcity of people willing to challenge a 78-year-old man seen by many to be a dithering, clumsy old fool. Of course, he's much more than that. The carefully-crafted public image may paint him as doleful, almost dopey, but he's a wily, ruthless character and it will take a Herculean effort to knock him off his perch. Whenever someone has been brave or stupid enough to take him on in the past, Blatter - an electioneering expert - simply swept them aside.
[FC Yahoo: FIFA Election 2015: The presidential race that's not a presidential race]
Before the last FIFA election four years ago, the much-vaunted Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam threw his name into the ring, promised transparency and picked up an ally in CONCACAF's Jack Warner - a long-time Blatter supporter. Irked and insulted, Blatter merely picked both of them apart, reducing the bin Hammam campaign to dust, humiliating the pair of pretenders and banning them from FIFA when it was revealed they had tried to buy Caribbean votes. With minimal fuss, Blatter, even in his dotage, even with the weight of a litany of embarrassments on his shoulders, reasserted his grip on power.
And now, UEFA have tried a different tactic. By cramming the field full of candidates, their hope is that there's strength in numbers. They hope that, just like a long-distance race, a couple of pace-makers can unsettle the field, allowing for one competitor to push through, edge Blatter on the outside and claim an unlikely win. But, sadly for that faction, Figo, van Praag and Prince Ali are all running the same campaign. They're not competing to win, rather for Blatter to lose. And is that fair for soccer? Surely, those involved in a race to become FIFA president should be involved because they genuinely want to be there. They should genuinely want to push a distinctive, interesting manifesto and offer powerful election promises. They should genuinely be passionate about wanting to change things and right the wrongs of the previous regimes. With the exception of van Praag, Blatter's opponents have been sheepish, quiet and seemingly unsure of their next step. In the case of Figo, his campaign has already been hit hard by a pathetic publicity stunt orchestrated by another ex-footballer in recent weeks.
When the former Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder David Ginola announced his candidacy late last month, it wasn't long before the backlash begun. Firstly, it was revealed that he was being paid $380,000 by Irish betting company Paddy Power. From there, it was always an unwinnable war. At his press conference, Ginola was unable to give the name of a single FIFA executive committee member - the “golden circle” he would oversee as president. The joke, if we can call it that, wasn't very funny. Overnight it seemed, Ginola was gone, unable to attain the requisite number of associations to back his bid. Still, a nice earner. Posing seductively for cameras and making a fool of himself in front of the world's media - many would argue Ginola did something similar during much of his football career.
In Figo's case, the pressure is on to offer interesting and intelligent proposals. With his movie-star good looks, it would be easy to dismiss him as just another Ginola - an empty vessel, desperate for attention. With no experience of the inner workings of FIFA, it's already wildly optimistic to think he'll come anywhere close to Blatter. There's also the suspicion that, out of necessity, Figo's hand is held by UEFA and that owing to his lack of an administrative background, he's nothing more than a pretty puppet for the suits at Europe's top table. Mere speculation, yes, but should it be true, the obvious next question is why the suits aren't in the race themselves.
Though Prince Ali has been immersed in soccer politics for a while and his background taps into the current trend of Middle Eastern influence, he too lacks the experience. Not even 40, it's difficult to believe that the top brass will take their direction from someone so young. FIFA isn't interested in radical changes. In fact, even mild alterations are frowned upon. So, keeping that logic, one challenger may prove a thorn in Blatter's side.
[Related: Prince Ali takes on Blatter, FIFA 'culture of fear']
Van Praag is a European heavyweight and has challenged the current president before. He's been a vocal critic of what's been allowed to fester on Blatter's watch. Last year, he said:
"The image of FIFA has deteriorated after everything that has happened in recent years. Few take it seriously. No matter how you look at it, Blatter is ultimately responsible.”
In his late-60s, van Praag wouldn't rock the boat much. Grey and bespectacled, he looks like many other stiff, FIFA types. He's a safe alternative.
And FIFA likes safe. But Blatter relishes a battle. And his challengers should tread carefully. Write him off at your peril.
More on the FIFA Elections on Yahoo Sports:
Eoin O'Callaghan is a soccer journalist and broadcaster. Best known in North America for his TV work with Fox Soccer, he has also reported extensively for BBC, RTE and Setanta Sports. He writes about soccer for The Irish Examiner newspaper, beIN Sports, One World Sports and TheScore.ie. Follow him @EoinOCallaghan
