By Andrew Warshaw
March 1 – UEFA are set to appoint Theodore Theodoridis as their interim general secretary to replace Gianni Infantino later this week, a somewhat controversial choice given his family’s alleged links with match-fixing.
Already without a president because of Michel Platini’s ban, European football’s governing body suddenly finds itself leader-less following Infantino’s Fifa presidential election victory and needs to find a quick temporary solution.
Theodoridis, who was number two to Infantino and will now step up until a permanent appointment is made, is the son of Savvas Theodoridis, vice-president of scandal-tarnished Olympiakos.
The Greeks were controversially admitted into in this season’s Champions League, despite club president Evangelos Marinakis being banned from all football activity by an Athens criminal court after becoming embroiled in a match-fixing scandal.
The efficient way in which UEFA works should make for a seamless transition and although there is no evidence of any wrongdoing by Theodoridis Snr, promoting Jnr will doubtless raise eyebrows given suggestions of inconsistency and nepotism in the treatment of Olympiakos.
Unlike FIFA, European football’s governing body has no robust independent ethics watchdog. Jerome Champagne, who was one of Infantino’s FIFA presidential rivals on Friday, has gone on record as criticising UEFA’s record in handling corruption allegations without identifying Infantino by name.
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