It seems unbelievable, but FIFA’s presidential election is scheduled for this Friday, and it hopes to go on with it in spite of the mass arrests of some of its executives on Wednesday. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) wants the election postponed, and from an American’s point of view, it’s hard to see how anything but a postponement could take place. There have been no charges against long-time FIFA President Sepp Blatter (yet), but it seems to be accepted wisdom in the football world that he’s as corrupt as any of his underlings.
Who still supports Mr. Blatter?
Mr Blatter has the support of Africa and Asia – the two big voting blocs needed to win an election. The question is whether, in the next 48 hours, people will be tempted to switch sides to the only challenger, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein.
There will be intense lobbying now among the 209-member associations. There is huge appetite amongst the European nations for change at the top, but whether they can convince the rest of the world remains to be seen.
It’s all very amazing, really. These guys at FIFA and the guys who run the International Olympic Committee keep very lofty company and deal in millions of dollars, and they’re either not very smart about hiding their behavior or they are so bloody arrogant they think they don’t need to.