Blatter to face FIFA challenge?

Blatter to face FIFA challenge?

Published Feb. 8, 2011 8:53 p.m. ET

FIFA president Sepp Blatter could face a challenge for his position in May from Asian football supremo Mohamed Bin Hammam.

The news emerged from the Korean tycoon Chung Mong-Joon, who lost his position as FIFA vice-president last month.

Chung revealed on his Twitter account that he lunched with Bin Hammam today and that a presidential challenge may be on the cards.

"It seems he will challenge the FIFA presidential election in June," Chung said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bin Hammam is in a position of power after securing his country Qatar as hosts of the 2022 World Cup and retaining his position as Asian confederation president unchallenged.

There has been no confirmation from Bin Hammam and there is a school of thought that he may keep his powder dry and stand in four years' time when Blatter may retire.

Meanwhile, FIFA have come under fire from former Football Association chairman Lord Triesman for setting "a completely false prospectus" at the start of the 2018 World Cup bidding process.

Triesman told an MPs' inquiry into football governance: "I think there will be a time when the contact that I and others had with members of the executive committee should be described in detail because some of the processes I don't think stand up to proper scrutiny.

"When we set off on the bid there was a huge amount of encouragement from FIFA because we could do it, create tremendous returns, organise events of those kind and handle security.

"Had they said at the time that the aim was to break into new territories, then I would have advised the FA board not to start in the first place on what turns out to be a completely false prospectus."

share