By Andrew Warshaw
August 12 – South Korea’s Chung Mong-joon will formally launch his bid to take on Michel Platini to become FIFA president early next week – right in the UEFA chief’s own backyard.
In what is clearly a strategic – some might say provocative – move, the former FIFA vice-president, who has been itching to make a comeback after several years out of the limelight, will enter the fray in Paris on Monday, kicking the presidential race into gear ahead of the February 26 election to replace Sepp Blatter.
Chung, who has long been a fierce critic of Blatter, said last month that he would make his declaration in Europe and is doing just that.
“Paris has been chosen as the venue for the announcement as it is the birthplace of FIFA and the campaign is focussed on reviving the original spirit of football’s governing body,” said Chung’s office, adding that the announcement would take place at 10am local time at the Shangri-La Hotel where Chung will hold a news conference to “set out his vision and roadmap for reforming FIFA” once Blatter steps down.
Chung, who headed his national football federation from 1993 to 2009 – during which time South Korea co-hosted the World Cup finals with Japan – lost his seat on FIFA’s executive committee in 2011 to Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan. Such is the unpredictable world of football politics that he is now back in the spotlight just a few months after Prince Ali lost a head-to-head contest with Blatter and has now exited FIFA’s inner sanctum altogether.
Even though he is three years older than Platini, Chung has described the Frenchman as being “a product of the current system”, ironically a charge also levelled at Platini by Prince Ali who has not yet publically explained why he has fallen out with the UEFA president, his supposed ally in the recent presidential election campaign against Blatter.
The Jordanian seems bound to be pressed on the issue when he makes an eagerly awaited appearance at the Soccerex conference in Manchester next month.
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