Sepp Blatter has been FIFA boss too long, says Hammam

DOHA: Sepp Blatter has been at FIFA for too long and needs to be replaced as president of football’s governing body, Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed Hammam said on Monday.

Less than two months after helping Qatar surprisingly land the 2022 World Cup following a scandal-filled voting process, Hammam said the FIFA president’s longevity in office has contributed to the perception that the organisation is corrupt.

“Everybody is going to accuse us today as corrupted people because maybe people see Mr Blatter has stayed a long time in FIFA,” Hammam said in a one-on-one interview.

“Thirty-five years in one organisation is quite long time. No matter how clean you are, honest or how correct you are, still people will attack you. You are going to be defenceless. That is why I believe change is the best thing for the organisation.”

The 74-year-old Blatter – who joined FIFA in 1975 as technical director, became secretary general in 1981 and president in 1998 – is up for re-election for a fourth four-year term as FIFA president in June, and so far no one is running against him.

Although Hammam has said that he wants to some day replace Blatter, he declined to say whether he would challenge the Swiss this year.

“I did not make up my mind yet,” Hammam said. “I would rather wait and see.”

But the 61-year-old Hammam is hoping that someone will run against Blatter.

“I’m actually seeking to see competition within FIFA for the post. I would prefer to see two candidates proposing themselves, or maybe more than two proposing themselves to the congress of FIFA,” Hammam said. “Competition is good for the organisation, whether president or any other posts. Competition is the best way to make the organisation vibrant and alive.”

n ROME: Switching the dates of the 2022 World Cup Finals to be hosted by Gulf state Qatar from its traditional mid-year date to December would not be a problem, claimed European football’s supremo Michel Platini on Monday.

FIFA’s decision to award the World Cup to Qatar – a tiny oil-rich nation where temperatures in summer regularly soar past 43°C – has attracted a firestorm of controversy.

But UEFA president Platini said that despite protests raised by Europe’s major leagues over the disruption that would cause he could see it being switched.

“If we played in summer, the matches could be played in temperatures of 55°C,” said the former France football great, who was praised widely for his heading up the organising of the 1998 Finals.

“It is because of this that I have given my assent to the possibility of playing it in the winter, but that does not mean everything should be turned on its head.

“That depends on the federations and the clubs, and the important things is that all this should be addressed to FIFA, who have the final say on the international calendar.

“If we all decide to suspend the domestic championships for a month-and-a-half from December to January, it won’t be a huge problem, in fact no problem at all in my opinion,” added Platini.