By Andrew Warshaw
January 15 – Jerome Champagne (pictured), one of the most powerful administrators in world football, has been forced out of office at FIFA after allegedly meddling in the affairs of national associations.
Champagne, director of international affairs and at one time one of FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s most trusted allies, left the organisation amid claims that his behaviour had become intolerable.
An official statement today merely said that Champagne and FIFA had parted company.
The statement gave no reason but insideworldfootball has learned that Blatter was placed under huge pressure to get rid of a one-time loyal righthand man.
It is understood the presidents of all six footballing Confederations met privately with Blatter at last month’s Executive Committee meeting on Robben Island to express their displeasure with the way Champagne had been conducting himself.
“A lot of people have had issues with him, a whole series of things that he had been doing incorrectly,” one FIFA executive committee member told insideworldfootball.
“He was often in conflict with the very people the President needed.
“He tended to do things on his own.
“You’d get one thing from him and find him doing something else.”
Although the former French diplomat’s relationship with Blatter had soured in recent months, he was at one point Blatter’s special advisor and one of his most loyal colleagues during the bitter election contest of 2002.
He was rewarded by being named deputy general secretary but was overlooked for the general secretary’s job when Blatter instead chose the erudite and astute Jerome Valcke in 2007.
Champagne was instead effectively demoted but his current job as international trouble-shooter gave him access to all the national associations who make up FIFA.
Ironically, it was he who came up with the innovative idea of having last month’s landmark FIFA Executive Committee meeting on Robben Island just before the World Cup draw in Cape Town.
Yet with tones of classic Shakespearean tragedy, it proved his downfall.
Sources close to FIFA have suggested that Champagne was actually gunning for Blatter’s job and was lining up a challenge for the Presidency of FIFA next year to stop Blatter (pictured) running for yet another term.
But it is understood this was not the case.
“It was not a power player,” said the afore-mentioned Fifa Executive Committee member.
“He didn’t have the clout to go for the top job.
“But his level of interference became a problem and made everyone uncomfortable.”
The sacking of Champagne could not have come at a stranger time, with the World Cup due to take place in June and the choice for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts six months later.
It could also have an effect on England’s 2018 World Cup bid since Champagne got on well with campaign personnel.
“If there was a political issue in a country, Jerome was the man who was sent to sort it so in that respect he was never going to be popular,” said one bid insider.
“He was a good contact.”
Others said the same thing and cound not understand why Blatter had acted with such haste in dispensing with Champagne’s services.
“To normalise a national association, Jerome sometimes had to be the messenger for uncomfortable truths,” said one former FIFA employee.
“But this is what the President tends to do.
“He goes for a quick solution that very often gives him a bigger problem that the one he solves.”
Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734797250labto1734797250ofdlr1734797250owedi1734797250sni@w1734797250ahsra1734797250w.wer1734797250dna1734797250