By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
May 28 – In the face of the worst crisis to hit FIFA under his leadership, Sepp Blatter called a meeting of his emergency committee today and came face to face with his nemesis, UEFA boss Michel Platini.
The emergency committee only convenes to deal with the gravest of situations and comprises the presidents of FIFA’s six confederations as well as the FIFA president. Hence the meeting should have been attended by Platini, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (AFC), Issa Hayatou (Africa) and David Chung (Oceania) plus Jeff Webb (CONCACAF) and Juan Angel Napout (South America).
Webb was unable to attend due to his arrest by Swiss police yesterday, he was not replaced at the meeting and it is not clear what specifically was discussed in terms of the FIFA congress or presidential election.
Having skipped a number of confederation min-congresses here since the latest crisis blew up. Blatter had been due to address the second day of FIFA’s two-day medical congress preceding the opening of annual congress later today. But he missed that too much to the disappointment of the international media who gathered outside the Swissotel hoping for a word from the embattled FIFA boss.
Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s chief medical officer, took the podium to express Blatter’s regrets.
“President Blatter apologises for not being able to come today because of the turbulences you have probably followed in the media so he has to fulfil his duties in the management of the situation – which is probably more important than to come to us. So, he sent his sincere apologies and greetings to you all.”
Meanwhile, UEFA, firmly behind Blatter’s sole challenger, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, were meeting behind closed doors ahead of a hastily arranged press conference to announce whether it would boycott Friday’s election – or take some kind of alternative action.
Such was the media scrum at the entrance of the hotel concerned that failed attempts were made to usher Platini in via a side entrance while Prince Ali momentarily got stuck in the hotel’s revolving door before briefly addressing UEFA delegates.
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