By Andrew Warshaw
July 3 – Buried in the various decisions taken by UEFA’s executive committee this week were two potentially significant appointments that went largely unreported.
The first was the election of Michael van Praag (pictured) as the organisation’s fifth vice-president following the retirement of Turkey’s Senes Erzik.
It is understood Van Praag was the only proposed candidate for the position and underlines the chairman of the Dutch FA’s growing influence at UEFA following his bid for the FIFA presidency which was ultimately dropped shortly before the ballot at the end of May.
Whether it is an indication that Van Praag is lining up another bid for FIFA presidency when Sepp Blatter steps down remains to be seen, something that could be made clearer once the eagerly awaited emergency FIFA executive committee meeting on July 20 to choose an election date is over.
Another possible scenario is that van Praag is being touted as a future boss of UEFA if Michel Platini decides, this time, to throw his hat into the ring at FIFA, now that he will no longer have to contend with Blatter.
All four of the other UEFA vice-presidents were duly re-elected, one of them being Angel Maria Villar Llona, elevated from second to first VP.
This was yet another indication that UEFA seemingly has no issue with the controversy surrounding the long-serving and seemingly untouchable Spanish powerbroker .
It is several months now since the man who led the joint Spanish-Portuguese doomed bid for the 2108 World Cup was reported as being one of one of five individuals facing formal disciplinary action as a result of Michael Garcia’s infamous probe.
No resolution of his case has yet been announced by FIFA’s ethics committee. More than one source has claimed that Villar has not yet even been interviewed by Cornel Borbely, the man who took over from Garcia after the latter resigned from the ethics committee.
At their annual Congress in Vienna in the spring, UEFA decided against bringing in fresh blood to replace Villar, their own long-standing representative as FIFA vice-president who has run Spanish football for over a generation.
Regarded in some quarters as being anti-reformist, he had come to the end of yet another term of office yet no candidate came forward to replace him as VP. Interestingly, however, not everyone backed his re-election for a place on UEFA’s exco. His 42 votes (UEFA has 54 members) suggested there were at least some who were uncomfortable with him carrying on.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1731699601labto1731699601ofdlr1731699601owedi1731699601sni@w1731699601ahsra1731699601w.wer1731699601dna1731699601