By Mark Baber
August 19 – Former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon’s entry into the FIFA presidential race on Tuesday has quickly dispelled any notion the contenders may pull their punches. The South Korean accused rival Michel Platini of having been too close to a corrupt FIFA and president Sepp Blatter. Response to his comments has been swift.
Questions are now being asked of charitable donations made by Chung to Pakistan and Haiti, and Blatter has slammed Chung for showing a “lack of respect.”
Chung launched his election campaign in Paris vowing he could change FIFA in four years before wading into an attack on Platini, FIFA and Blatter.
According to Chung, Blatter and Platini once had a “father and son” relationship and “If Europe had provided healthy and discerning leadership, would FIFA be in this kind of mess today? This is not a criticism but an appeal to you to think.
“The core issue of this election is whether the 40-year-old system of corruption should continue or not.”
Blatter reacted with fury at Chung’s remarks saying: “It is disturbing to hear that Dr. Chung Mong-joon, has called FIFA a corrupt organisation.” Chung seemed to have forgotten “that he was FIFA vice-president for 17 years and a member of the Emergency Committee of FIFA from 1994-2011”. According to Blatter, the “personal attacks” by Chung were partly influenced by a lack of respect.
No sooner had Chung officially announced his candidature than reports appeared in the press that payments the billionaire and member of the family that owns Hyundai had made to Pakistan and Haiti were being “investigated” by FIFA’s Ethics Committee.
The accusations, cannot be confirmed or denied by the Ethics Committee as they refer to an ongoing investigation but questions have been raised over where some of the money Chung donated personally and through the philanthropic Asia Foundation in disaster relief has gone in both Pakistan and Haiti, and there seems to be an attempt to tie these investigations to some kind of wrongdoing by Chung himself.
A statement from Chung’s office said: “Recent media reports allege that FIFA has started an investigation into FIFA Honorary Vice President Dr. Chung Mong-Joon’s 2010 donations to disaster relief funds to Haiti and Pakistan. If these reports are true, we condemn this as a cynical and unethical effort by FIFA to misrepresent even charitable donations for political manipulation.”
With FIFA’s elective congress not until February 26 2016, the bitterness of the current campaign leaves one to wonder if any of the candidates will emerge with their reputations untarnished.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734887600labto1734887600ofdlr1734887600owedi1734887600sni@r1734887600ebab.1734887600kram1734887600