Friday, May 29, 2015

US Disappointed With Sepp Blatter’s Re-Election as FIFA President

The United States' soccer association has said it is disappointed in the reelection of Sepp Blatter as the head of world soccer's governing body, the same week that seven top FIFA executives were arrested on corruption charges.The United States' soccer association has said it is "disappointed" in the reelection of Sepp Blatter as the head of world soccer's governing body, the same week that seven top FIFA executives were arrested on corruption charges.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter delivers an opening speech at the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland, May 29, 2015
© REUTERS/ Ruben Sprich
Joseph Blatter Re-Elected as FIFA President After Prince Ali Withdraws From Race
"While we are disappointed in the result of the election, we will continue to push for meaningful change within FIFA," said  United States Soccer Federation (USSF) President Sunil Gulati in a statement following the elections at FIFA's 65th Congress in Zurich Friday.  "We congratulate President Blatter," Gulati added, "and it is our hope that he will make reform his number one priority to ensure the integrity of the sport across the world."
In the first round of voting Blatter won 133 votes, while Prince Ali bin Hussein of Jordan — his only challenger in the race — gained support of 73 members. Prince Ali later withdrew from the race.
Blatter — who has now won his fourth election to the post — has been FIFA's president since 1998, and will now begin another 4-year term.


While some have questioned why these charges against soccer's governing association are coming from the United States — not traditionally a soccer-heavy nation — the US government has maintained that it is not trying to interfere in the internal politics of the organization or to influence the location of the 2018 World Cup — awarded to Russia in 2010.
US Department of State spokesperson Jeff Rathke denied Thursday that the charges brought by the US Department of Justice "don’t have anything to do with that topic."
As top football executives in the Americas are losing their positions over the FIFA corruption investigation, the timing of the revelations - on the eve of the FIFA's presidential elections - seems to some designed for a shake up.
© AP Photo/ Michael Probst
Top US Sports Lawyer: FIFA Arrests on Eve of Elections No Coincidence
"The suggestion that we are trying to have an influence over the internal processes in FIFA, that’s not the point," Rathke said.
Nevertheless, some see the timing of the arrests, the day before the FIFA Congress began, as indicative of a US desire to interfere and prevent Blatter's re-election.
"The request of staying of the elections, if it is not a direct breach or a violation to FIFA’s principles, surely it is an unauthorized influence and interference inside an ongoing process. Indeed, the operation at stake demonstrates again the ‘American way’ to deal with international issues," Lucio Colantuoni and Venturi Ferriolo, prominent international sports lawyers, the director and a member of Italy’s Centro Studi Diritto Sport and Sports Law Research Center respectively, told Sputnik.
Corruption — 1, Football — 0
If the United States was trying to prevent Blatter's re-election, it all came to naught.
The US, though, isn't the only party "disappointed" by Blatter's re-election; many are taking to Twitter to vent their frustrations with the lack of change in FIFA's highest office, convinced that Blatter has to be somewhat to blame for the organization's corruption.









Read more: http://sputniknews.com/sport/20150530/1022734056.html#ixzz3baL9aNKO
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)