By Paul Nicholson, Editor-in-chief
April 19 – Allegations of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) interference in football and in the Asian Football Confederation elections have continued this week in what is turning out to be a bitter battle for power at the top of the AFC.
By Paul Nicholson, Editor-in-chief
April 19 – Allegations of Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) interference in football and in the Asian Football Confederation elections have continued this week in what is turning out to be a bitter battle for power at the top of the AFC. The OCA is accused of favouring one candidate, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, and pressuring federations to vote for him. Similar accusations were made in the 2009 elections and Insideworldfootball has been supplied with video footage of a report compiled by SBS of Australia regarding interference by the OCA in those elections.
The video shows Dali Tahir, Indonesian FA chairman of international affairs, explaining an approach from the Indonesian National Olympic Committee asking them to vote for Sheikh Salman. It also shows Philippines Football Federation president Jose Mari Martinez detailing a AS$500m inducement for their vote for Sheikh Salman.
Youssuf Al Serkal, who is also running against Thailand’s Worawi Makudi and Saudi Hafez Ibrahim Al Medlej, expressed frustration at the OCA last week for interfering in the election.
“They are trying hard to influence the voting,” Al Serkal told reporters. “If it was only (OCA chief) Sheikh Ahmad himself doing that on a personal level it would be OK. Anybody has the right to support one candidate or another, but since it has been done in an official way that’s direct interference.”
OCA influence is also believed to be behind the domestic pressure in China put on acting AFC President Zhang Jilong to not stand in the current elections – as reported in our Inside Insight column in March and confirmed today in a detailed Reuters report.
The OCA is understood to have booked as many as 25 rooms at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur for the AFC Congress. OCA officials are also understood to have travelled with Sheikh Salman on electioneering visits to Kazhakstan and other federations, confirms Reuters.
One report, received anonymously by insideworldfootball today, is that Sheikh Salman is currently travelling in central Asia and India with OCA staff on his plane.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734830094labto1734830094ofdlr1734830094owedi1734830094sni@n1734830094osloh1734830094cin.l1734830094uap1734830094
