By Andrew Warshaw
January 27 – All hopes of bringing the FIFA presidential candidates round the same table ahead of the February 26 election to replace Sepp Blatter have been quashed once and for all when the BBC conceded defeat in attempting to stage a televised debate 10 days before the ballot.
No sooner had another planned debate fallen through at the European Parliament in Brussels when only one of the five candidates ended up being available, than the BBC threw in the towel in its efforts to convince the contenders to take part in a live head-to-head discussion.
The broadcaster had been prepared to go ahead with the programme without the favourite for the presidency, Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, who said he was unable to take part. But then it could not secure firm pledges from the other candidates to appear in person on February 15, the date pencilled in after apparently painstaking negotiations with all of them over availability.
Last month, ESPN scrapped a planned January 29 live debate after only two candidates agreed to take part and had to do the same again when today’s Brussels forum also disintegrated.
It is understood, meanwhile, that South Africa’s Tokyo Sexwale, a member of whose campaign team said he was “turning round and going home” after withdrawing from Brussels, instead pitched up in Qatar for a meeting with Salman though this could not be immediately confirmed.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1734905740labto1734905740ofdlr1734905740owedi1734905740sni@w1734905740ahsra1734905740w.wer1734905740dna1734905740