By Andrew Warshaw
April 30 – South America’s Confederation has announced it will back Sepp Blatter in the forthcoming FIFA Presidential campaign against Mohamed Bin Hammam.
The decision by CONMEBOL, who will re-elect their Paraguayan President Nicolas Leoz (pictured with Blatter) unopposed for another term at their congress in Asuncion tomorrow, gives Blatter a vital boost though he cannot be certain of their entire support until the actual vote on June 1.
Both candidates have been stepping up the war of words in the build-up to the election and Blatter was at it again in the Paraguayan capital.
” I don’t need to make a lot of promises,” said Blatter in a clear dig at his opponent.
“I’m not interested in what he is doing.
I have my programme, it’s 36 years I’ve been serving FIFA.”
“[Bin Hammam] came into the FIFA Executive Committee in 1996, so he was part of the construction of today’s FIFA.
“You need to ask him why he wants to change that construction.”
Blatter said it was no surprise that CONMEBOL were behind him, just as they were when he first ran for office in 1998, which will have been a blow to Bin Hammam, who met his rival during lunch in Asuncion (pictured).
“I’m fully confident that they are still in the same mood,” Blatter told Reuters.
“I don’t know why they shouldn’t be.”
Earlier Argentina soccer chief Julio Grondona confirmed to the CONMEBOL Executive Board that Blatter was the right candidate.
“South America is unanimously and resoundingly committed to supporting the candidacy of Joseph Blatter for another period as President of FIFA, there’s no doubt in this regard,” he said.
“That’s how we started in 1998 and that’s how we want to continue for the good of world football.”
Blatter has been critical in recent weeks of Brazil’s 2014 World Cup preparations but was careful not to go down the same route on the campaign trail in South America.
“They needed a little bit of a wake-up call and now they are working hard,” Blatter said.
“I’m sure Brazil 2014 will be a great, great moment in international football because Brazil is the country of football.”
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