By Andrew Warshaw in Vienna
March 25 – UEFA president Michel Platini is steadfastly maintaining his stance that he is not specifically backing any one of the three candidates standing against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency.
UEFA will not necessarily vote as a bloc on May 29 and Platini was asked following the UEFA Congress in Vienna which of Michael van Praag, Luis Figo and Prince Ali of Jordan he would be endorsing.
“Let them do their work trying to convince the national associations and then we’ll see whether to choose one,” said Platini. “Today I don’t have a candidate. I can only tell you the candidate I would like NOT to win (Blatter). I’m just listening and watching. But it will not be an easy race to win.”
“Let the best man win,” he continued. “I don’t vote, you don’t vote lets see how things play out.”
Platini also issued a veiled attack on the other five confederations, all of whom seem happy with the status quo, for not putting up a candidate to run against the veteran Swiss.
“The other confederations have locked everything down and don’t want anybody to run. We’ve been transparent and democratic by letting the candidates take the floor. I’m not sure they will be allowed to do this in the other congresses.”
Platini may be opposed to 79-year-old Blatter standing for a fifth time as FIFA president but insists he is not against term limits. After being elected for the third time as head of UEFA, he told reporters: “I’m for age limits which we have in UEFA but have never been in favour of terms of office.”
He has also added his voice to the criticism of UEFA’s outgoing FIFA executive committee member Theo Zwanziger.
On the eve of the UEFA Congress, Zwanziger was publicly rebuked by UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino for failing to carry out his duties and for filing an ethics complaint – subsequently thrown out – against his German successor in the UEFA and FIFA heirarchy, German FA president Wolfgang Niersbach.
“What Gianni said represents the state of mind of all the exco members,” said Platini. “We count on Mr Niersbach to defend the values of European football.”
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