February 19 – To ensure that no last-minute skullduggery takes place and the ballot remains secret, mobile phones and cameras will be banned from polling booths at next week’s FIFA presidential election.
Jerome Champagne, one of the five candidates, says he raised the issue with the electoral committee overseeing the voting process because he was concerned some voters had come under pressure to photograph their ballot papers to prove they had participated.
None of the six continental confederations vote but four of them have nominated their preferred candidates. However, with the election taking place by secret ballot, member federations can ignore their continental body’s recommendations without being found out.
Champagne is reported to have written to Domenico Scala, head of the electoral committee, to say that: “FIFA member associations and their leaders are under intense pressure to determine their vote on Feb. 26.
“Past experience, as well as the information currently circulating, is showing that in order to assure compliance with directives, voting members are being required to take pictures of their voting form with a mobile phone.”
Reuters reported Scala as replying that all delegates would be reminded “the use of mobile phones, cameras or other electronic equipment suited to record the voting process are not permitted in the voting booths”.
Additionally, ballot papers will only be handed out to delegates “once they are in the voting booths”.
Last week another candidate, Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, raised the tempo by suggesting reprisals get meted out to FAs who disobey their confederation leaders.
“Development projects mysteriously stall; tournament hosting bids are suddenly compromised or withdrawn; national teams start to mysteriously face less favourable fixtures or and even referees,” he charged. “All of these are effective ways to punish member associations that fail to demonstrate political loyalty.”
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