September 18 – English FA chairman Greg Dyke says it is highly unlikely UEFA will put up a candidate to take on Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency next year now that their main man, Michel Platini, has decided not to run.
There has been some speculation, both before and after Platini’s recent announcement that he wanted to remain as UEFA president, and that Europe would choose someone else to contest the election next May.
But Dyke thinks this is unlikely. “My guess is that UEFA won’t put up a candidate,” he told the BBC. “Our failure is we haven’t really got a credible candidate. We were a bit late trying to get that organised.”
Dyke repeated his view, however, that Blatter should not have changed his mind by carrying on having originally said he would step down.
“My position – and The FA’s position – on Sepp Blatter is that there should be a competition. I think he’ll probably win (but) he’s not doing the right thing.”
“If you said four years ago ‘I’m not standing again’ and you got elected on that basis and then you stand again at the age of 78? Sometimes in this world you have to let younger men have their time and I think seeing old men standing at the age of 78 for another four years is a mistake”.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734838165labto1734838165ofdlr1734838165owedi1734838165sni@w1734838165ahsra1734838165w.wer1734838165dna1734838165