By Andrew Warshaw
July 10 – FIFA have released their eagerly awaited regulations to make sure there is no foul play at next year’s presidential election campaign. The detailed 20-point set of rules follows the establishment at the FIFA Congress in May of a three-member Ad Hoc panel set up to supervise the process of the election.
In what could be a bitter and divisive election battle, FIFA is looking to ensure there is no repetition of the kind of corruption claims and conspiracy theories that have swirled around the organisation, not least over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and which led to a two-year reform process.
As previously reported, the electoral committee members are Domenico Scala, chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, Claudio Sulser, chairman of its disciplinary committee, and Larry Mussenden, chairman of the FIFA appeal committee.
The presidential election takes place in late May next year in Zurich with present incumbent Sepp Blatter, who has all but announced he will stand for a fifth term, likely to be the front-runner. January, four months before the vote, is the deadline for candidates to show their hand and so far the only declared contender is FIFA’s former deputy general secretary Jerome Champagne.
In the buildup to the FIFA Congress in Sao Paolo, Blatter was told in no uncertain terms by leading UEFA figures that, after four terms, it was time to step down because of FIFA’s tainted reputation.
The UEFA ambush, which Blatter denounced at Congress as being totally disrespectful, was led by Dutch federation president Michael van Praag, a key member of UEFA’s executive committee, who is unlikely to take Blatter on in person but whose confederation is considering putting forward a credible opponent. UEFA president Michel Platini has not yet made up his mind whether to go for the top job but will not support Blatter whatever happens.
The electoral rules request candidates to “conduct all campaigns with dignity and moderation and with respect for any other candidate(s),” and, significantly, to “refrain from carrying out any electoral campaigning prior to the start of the electoral period for FIFA.”
This is interesting since no actual start date is provided yet Champagne has already been lobbying intensively with a series of manifesto papers as well as conducting numerous interviews across the world.
The electoral regulations also state that integrity checks will be carried out on all candidates and that, at election time, they will have the opportunity to address FIFA’s 209 member nations for 15 minutes just before the vote takes place.
In order to play fair, all prospective candidates must follow up on any pledges to stand.
“If a person engages in campaign or similar activities that give the appearance that he is a candidate, the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee or, if the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee has not yet been constituted, the FIFA Secretary General, shall give him a deadline of ten days to formally state, in writing, his intention of becoming a candidate for the office of FIFA President,” the rules state.
“This shall also apply for the incumbent FIFA President.”
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