By Paul Nicholson
October 7 – FIFA presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon continued today where he left off yesterday with another assault on FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the corruption within the organisation, saying that he intends to sue Blatter in Zurich for as much as $100 million, money he would return to FIFA if he wins the case.
Chung started his address at the Leaders summit in London saying that he wanted to be “a bit informal”. “Call me MJ,” he said, “like Mick Jagger.”
What followed was another performance based on his blame of Blatter and assertion that the Ethics process is not independent. The performance faltered slightly at its close under questions that targeted alleged vote trading with England and calls for him to disclose who he cast his vote for in the election of hosts for the 2018 World Cup.
Chung said that “because I love football very much I care about FIFA very much and it is why I am here. I am not here for money (Chung is a billionaire), I don’t need a private jet to go to grocery shopping or to buy a new pair of shoes. I just need one 4-year term to rescue FIFA.”
Calling Blatter a ”hypocrite and a liar”, he said. ”I plan to sue Mr. Blatter on his embezzlement in court…My understanding is the amount of money I can claim against President Blatter is in proportion to the amount of damage he inflicted on FIFA.”
Chung is himself under investigation by FIFA’s ethics process and said that a recommendation to hand down a 15-year sanction from football had been made. No decision had been taken on any sanction at press time. Again he said that he would resort to “every legal avenue” to make sure he could continue with his candidacy.
Chung contends that the ethics investigation is primarily to remove him from the FIFA presidential race, saying that he believed that even now Blatter wants to stay on beyond the election – the thinking being that if all the candidates are excluded for ethics violations he would be the last man standing and have to continue. This appears to be pure speculation as Blatter has repeatedly said he will be leaving in February next year when the new president is elected.
Chung again referred to past FIFA scandals as evidence of the long-term depth of corruption – particularly the ISL and the Mastercard cases. Questioned about what he had done in his 17 years on FIFA’s executive committee to clean up the organisation, he said: “From 1994 to 2011 was a lonely period for me. I respected my co-members (on FIFA’s executive committee) but on ISL and VISA/Mastercard I was the only member that tried to raise the issue and I told Sepp Blatter he should resign…
“I tried my best but as the only fighter I failed to get the support of my colleagues.”
Chung still contends that Blatter and the then FIFA commercial director Jerome Valcke should have been banned for life for the “criminal” behaviour in the MasterCard case and he repeatedly referred to the judge’s criticism of FIFA.
On his own pending investigation Chung returned to his anti-Blatter theme saying that the “fact that I am the target of Mr Blatter’s smear campaign is the most positive endorsement of my candidature”.
So if he does manage to remain in the race for the FIFA presidency and even get elected for the single four-year term he says is all he needs, what can we expect?
Chung talks of:
– Checks (note spelling of ‘ck’ and not ‘que’) and balances on FIFA decision-making
– A transformed Congress that gives more time and opportunity to federations
– Term limits on the presidency
– Publication of the president’s salary
– Increased financial assistance to federations
– An elevation of the prize money for the Women’s World Cup which is currently just 5% of the prize money for the men’s
As Chung sailed on he was later left becalmed on the alleged vote trading agreement with English FIFA executive committee member Geoff Thompson. Chung questioned Thompson’s recollection of the meeting which he said actually took place in Prince William’s hotel suite the evening before the vote and with the premiers of Japan and the UK present. Was a British royal really involved in FIFA vote trading? Chung says not but all the English bid team said a vote trading agreement was in place.
MJ Chung may not in the final reckoning be South Korea’s answer to Mick Jagger, but he certainly has the energy to put on a good show.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734885012labto1734885012ofdlr1734885012owedi1734885012sni@n1734885012osloh1734885012cin.l1734885012uap1734885012