By Andrew Warshaw
August 1 – Three months after being well beaten in his campaign to become the new leader of Asian football, FIFA vice-president Worawi Makudi insists he was promised support which never materialised.
Makudi lost out to runaway winner Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain, receiving only seven votes, after being deserted by many within his own south-east Asian bloc which makes up almost a quarter of the Asian Football Confederation membership and comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, known as ASEAN.
When it came to the vote for AFC president, it is understood that many Asean countries questioned whether Makudi would be the right man for the job because of his past dealings.
Makudi was one of those who accompanied Mohamed bin Hammam to the infamous meeting in Trinidad in May 2011 where the Qatari is alleged to have handed out $40,000 to Caribbean Football Union members in what became known as the cash-for-votes scandal. Makudi was subsequently questioned by FIFA investigators but denied any knowledge of any wrongdoing.
Also in 2011, Makudi strongly denied claims that he misused thousands of dollars’ worth of FIFA development grants to build facilities on land that he personally owned in and around Bangkok. Although he was investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing – he claimed the allegations were designed to defame his reputation – rumours and speculation have long since persisted.
But exactly three months on from the ballot, Makudi – currently embroiled in an unrelated internal battle to retain the presidency of the Thai FA – says he was simply let down unexpectedly by so-called allies who, he claims, had pledged their support in the build-up to the vote in Kuala Lumpur.
“I don’t know what happened because they had all said they would support me,” Makudi told Insideworldfootball. “Otherwise I would not have put my name forward. I don’t want to speak behind anyone’s back but I can’t control the hearts of the people.”
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