By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent
April 29 – The acrimonious war of words in the build-up to this week’s eagerly awaited Presidential election for the most powerful man in Asian football has intensified with the Kuwaiti Football Association denouncing Yousuf al-Serkal of the United Arab Emirates for comments he made regarding interference by the Olympic Council of Asia, run by Kuwait’s Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah.
Outlining his manifesto last month, Al Serkal, AFC vice-president, accused the Olympic body, which covers the entire continent, of “direct interference” in the election and “trying hard to influence the voting” in support of his main rival for Asian Football Confederation President, controversial Bahraini FA chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
Insideworldfootball subsequently disclosed that the OCA have taken as many as 25 rooms at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Kuala Lumpur where Thursday’s election takes place. It is also understood that OCA officials travelled with Sheikh Salman on electioneering visits to Kazhakstan and other federations.
But in a statement distributed to media organisations, the KWA, of which Sheikh Ahmed is honorary life president, attacked what it described as “baseless allegations with regard to the involvement of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in the presidential ballot, made by Mr. Yousef Al-Serkal.”
The KWA warned that Al-Serkal himself faced possible investigation for allegedly breaking OCA rules.
“Sheikh Ahmad … has already forwarded the allegations made by Mr. Al-Serkal to the concerned OCA body for further investigation and take further necessary action, as Mr. Al-Serkal is also the Vice President of the UAE NOC, which is a Member of the OCA and guided by the OCA Constitution and Rules,” the statement said.
Sheikh Ahmad, president of the KFA from 1991 to 2003, “has and will always campaign against corruption in sports and more transparency in the working of the sports organizations, including AFC,” the statement continued adding that Salman, the front-runner in Thursday’s election but who has come under increasing pressure over human rights violations in his country, was the right man to “provide provide the necessary tools to restore transparency and to clear up the past.”
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