FIFA could lose major backers as scandal deepens

ZURICH — Engulfed in the latest corruption scandal, FIFA looks to lose a lot more than only its reputation, with multibillion-dollar businesses that bankroll tournaments and UEFA threatening to end their association with football’s embattled ruling body.

FIFA’s sponsorship paymasters yesterday began to put pressure on football’s global governing body to clean up its act following Wednesday’s incidents. Visa became the first sponsor to warn that it could pull out of its FIFA contract, which is worth at least US$25 million (S$33.8 million) a year. Sponsors such as Visa provide almost a third of FIFA’s revenues — recent figures showed that the organisation generated US$5.7 billion from 2011 to 2014, with sponsors and commercial partners contributing almost US$1.6 billion.

UEFA president Michel Platini yesterday also suggested UEFA could withdraw from FIFA if huge changes are not made, but also admitted he faces something of a crisis of his own.

“I have affection for Mr Blatter, and he always said he was like an uncle to me. But enough is enough,” said Mr Platini. “If I cannot tell him it is time to stop then who can? A true friend can tell another friend the reality.”

The Frenchman said he hoped that 45 or 46 of Europe’s eligible 53 voting nations would vote for Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein in today’s presidential election against Mr Blatter, who is standing for a fifth term as president.

Those votes would not be enough to topple Mr Blatter but would send a strong signal of disapproval. Mr Platini said that during an emergency committee meeting at FIFA yesterday, he told Blatter to step down, but the latter refused.

Mr David Gill of England, who is joining the FIFA executive committee as the British vice-president, has said he will not take up his seat on the executive if Mr Blatter is re-elected.

British Prime Minister David Cameron also backed calls for Mr Blatter’s resignation, echoing the sentiments of his spokesperson John Whittingdale who described FIFA as a “deeply flawed and corrupt organisation” that required a change of leadership.

Australia’s football federation (FFA) also announced it would be voting for a new president at today’s election. The Socceroos won the Asian Cup for the first time earlier this year, but the FFA has been increasingly critical of Mr Blatter’s leadership of FIFA after losing out to Qatar in the vote to host the 2022 World Cup bid.

But Mr Blatter still enjoys support from various parties, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Putin yesterday accused the United States of using a corruption probe to try to block the re-election of Mr Blatter for resisting attempts to remove Russia’s right to host the 2018 World Cup.

The US inquiry into alleged corruption at FIFA is “yet another clear attempt to extend its jurisdiction into other countries” Mr Putin said. He compared it to the US pursuit of whistle-blowers Edward Snowden and Julian Assange.

Swiss prosecutors said on Wednesday that they had uncovered “irregularities” in the selection of Russia and Qatar as host countries of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup tournaments.

Russia is spending 665 billion roubles (S$17.05 billion) on preparations to stage the World Cup for the first time, and Mr Putin has staked his prestige on hosting major sports tournaments. Last year, Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi.

“At its root this has nothing to do with Russia,” said Mr Sergei Markov, a Kremlin-linked political analyst. “This is about Washington taking control of FIFA.”

Mr Blatter said late yesterday that the corruption scandal surrounding the world football body had brought shame and humiliation to football. In a defiant speech at the opening of a FIFA Congress in Zurich, he said there could be no place for corruption of any kind in the game.

Seeking to distance himself from the scandal in which seven senior FIFA figures have been arrested in Switzerland on US corruption charges, he said: “I cannot monitor everyone all the time. If people want to do wrong they will also try to hide it.” AGENCIES