By Andrew Warshaw in Zurich
May 31 – UEFA President Michael Platini today refused to back calls by the English Football Association to call off tomorrow’s FIFA election and said he doubted there would be enough support to do so.
Speaking within minutes of the FA urging FIFA to postpone the election in the wake of the unprecedented bribery scandal that led to the suspension of Sepp Blatter’s only rival, Mohamed Bin Hammam, Platini said he not heard anything from the FA and thought the election would still go ahead.
“I don’t know anything about this,” Platini told insideworldfootball outside a downtown Zurich hotel where most of the top FIFA delegates are staying and which has been staked out by reporters and cameramen.
“No-one has contacted me.
“Anyway I am only the [UEFA] President and I don’t have a vote.”
“It would need 75 percent support from the [208-nation] Congress to support the English – who knows if that many would back them.
“I have my doubts.”
The English FA have already announced they will abstain at the election but said in a statement that the whole thing should now be abandoned and an independent panel set up to reform FIFA from top to bottom.
“Events of the last few days have reinforced our views, and we call on FIFA and ask other national associations to support us with two initiatives,” said the statement from FA chairman David Bernstein.
“First, to postpone the election and give credibility to this process, so any alternative reforming candidate could have the opportunity to stand for President.
“Secondly, to appoint a genuinely independent external party to make recommendations regarding improved governance and compliance procedures and structures throughout the FIFA decision making processes for consideration by the full membership.”
Bernstein explained why England will abstain tomorrow, a decision likely to be followed by a string of other federations, either fed up with constant corruption cases or those who would have supported Bin Hammam.
“There were two main reasons for this decision,” said the FA statement.
“First, a concern, that a series of allegations relating to FIFA ExCo Members made it difficult to support either candidate.
“Secondly, a concern about the lack of transparency and accountability within the organisation, contributing to the current unsatisfactory situation.
“This has been a very damaging time for the reputation of FIFA and therefore the whole of football.
“To improve confidence in the way the game is governed at the very top, we believe these requests would be a positive step forward and the minimum that should take place.”
Bernstein’s call came after Asian football chief Bin Hammam pulled out of the race against Blatter at the weekend, hours before he was provisionally banned from all football-related activities.
Meanwhile, commercial sponsors associated with FIFA have expressed growing concern at the damage caused by the spate of corruption allegations.
Coca-Cola and Adidas have voiced worries, with a Coca-Cola spokesperson quoted as saying that the image of FIFA was “distressing and bad for the sport”.
“We have every expectation that FIFA will this situation in an expedient and thorough manner,” the spokesperson said.
An Adidas spokesman expressed similar concern.
“Adidas enjoys a long-term, close and successful partnership with FIFA that we are looking forward to continuing,” he said.
“Having said that, the negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA and its partners.”
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