? Asia president concerned about campaign funding
? Qatari will formally announce his candidacy on 1 April
Mohamed bin Hammam will fire the first shot in the campaign for the Fifa presidency on Friday with formal calls for candidates to be prevented from using Fifa funds and resources for personal lobbying. In line with the 1 April deadline the Qatari will deliver a letter to Fifa today formally announcing his candidacy for the Fifa presidency and will urge Fifa's general secretary, J�r�me Valcke, to monitor closely the campaigning process.
With the costs involved of a global campaign potentially running into hundreds of thousands of pounds, Bin Hammam is concerned that Fifa's executives and staff may find it difficult to remain impartial. He is keen to guard against Fifa funds or staff time being used to support Sepp Blatter's campaign as the incumbent president.
In the days before Bin Hammam declared his candidacy a fortnight ago Blatter travelled to the heart of the Asian Football Confederation president's powerbase. Blatter flew to East Timor, Burma and Laos on official Fifa business promoting development projects in those regions. He is likely to have coupled those visits with legitimate promotion of his own campaign ahead of the 1 June election. But if any visits paid by Fifa are undertaken without any formal business between now and the election with the sole purpose of lobbying for a vote, it may constitute a breach of fiduciary duty under the world governing body's code of ethics.
It is unlikely that Bin Hammam would take any complaint to the ethics committee but Fifa is governed by Swiss law and it is understood that Bin Hammam could approach the police if he had any specific concerns about conduct during the campaigning for the presidency.
As a billionaire construction magnate Bin Hammam is perfectly capable of funding his own campaign. He is also rumoured to have the support of the Fifa vice-president Chung Mong?joon, the multi-billionaire scion of the Hyundai family who steps down from his Fifa role on 1 June after failing to secure re-election to the executive committee.
While Bin Hammam can conduct a campaign almost without regard to the costs, Blatter's resources are more limited. It is unknown if he enjoys any logistical support from outside sources. Indeed, when Blatter won his first mandate as Fifa president 13 years ago, he relied on Bin Hammam's direct patronage. The Qatari has talked of having "helped Blatter immensely" by being "right in the field while others were sitting behind their desk".
Digger asked Blatter what is his electoral-campaign budget, how he intends to fund it, whether he has the financial or logistical support of another party. Fifa responded by saying: "The Fifa president confirms his candidature and does not wish to comment any further at this time. Any potential further information will be communicated after the closure of the candidate nomination procedure. That process closes today."
Specific questions about what is Blatter's presidential itinerary between now and 1 June, which countries he would visit for electioneering purposes and whether any national association representatives would be travelling to Fifa headquarters without paying their own expenses similarly went unanswered.
Bin Hammam's presidential nomination has been backed by Yemen, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand and he hopes to win the support of the Uefa president, Michel Platini, too. "I am not going to lie to you and say that I am not going to talk to Michel about possible co-operation in the future; this has to be put frankly. I'm not telling you I am not going to do it, but let's wait and see," he has said.
The AFC president plans to meet the Football Association next month and also has a meeting scheduled with Jack Warner, the controversial Concacaf president who presides over an influential bloc of 37 votes. The FA was forced to deny that it had made up its mind to support Bin Hammam, saying the matter had yet to be discussed formally, after board sources said it would back any challenger to Blatter.
No office gossip at Fifa
When Mohamed bin Hammam wrote to ask Fifa's general secretary, J�r�me Valcke, to keep a close eye on the activities of Fifa personnel during the presidential election campaign, it is likely he most had in mind the executive office of the president. Fifa's personnel- structures flowchart shows that this section of Fifa activity comes under the direct control of Sepp Blatter as Fifa president. There is no oversight from Valcke or any other executive within Fifa; it is Blatter's own personal dominion. Its lead staff member in this office is Christine Maria Botta, formerly Christine Salzmann, who used to be Blatter's personal assistant.
Yet Valcke, whose role as general secretary makes him the de facto policeman of the election race, has four such assistants without there being any grand presence in the flowchart. So how many people does this office of the president directly employ? Digger asked Fifa, and also asked what this and for details of their specific functions. "As a matter of principle, Fifa does not disclose internal information in relation to Fifa employees," it said.
One source with knowledge of Fifa's internal structures explained that the office organises guests, lunches and travel for Blatter in both a professional and personal capacity: just the sort of thing Bin Hammam may have concerns about. The source did not know the office annual budget. So Digger asked Fifa. There was also a question about what purpose this budget serves and where it is accounted for in Fifa's annual report. "Fifa voluntarily publishes its figures in accordance with IFRS [international accountancy standards]," Fifa responded. "This practice is not obligatory for associations, but was introduced by Fifa in 2003 for reasons of transparency. Please take note that Fifa does not provide any further details." Digger takes note.
Sepp heads to London
Sepp Blatter is heading to London for his first visit in almost six months, since he gave England's 2018 World Cup bid glowing reports (and then, supposedly, voted for Russia). Blatter will be at the Football Association headquarters at Wembley on Monday for lunch with the chairman, David Bernstein, and the chief executive, Alex Horne. And Fifa will be paying the travel expenses, since Blatter is here on official Fifa business. He will be here for the general assembly meeting of the summer Olympic federations and squeezing in lunch with his FA hosts ? and, no doubt, an entirely legitimate bit of lobbying ? in the middle of formal duties with the International Olympic Committee.
Regarding Henry
Digger strikes a blow for transparency (at last). On Thursday Liverpool quietly amended the "corporate information" section on their website, finally detailing who owns more than 10% of the club. Previously it explained pretty much only that Tom Werner and John Henry were directors. There was no reference to ownership, meaning the club was not compliant with Premier League rules on disclosure of stakes over 10%. Now it states the following: "The sole owner of the Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Limited is Fenway Sports Group (legally organised as NESV I, LLC). The economic interest in this company is held by a range of investors, including Tom Werner. Those holding more than a 10% interest are John Henry and the New York Times Company (which is quoted on the New York Stock Exchange). John Henry and Tom Werner are generally responsible for the management of Fenway Sports Group." So Thomas DiBenedetto, who is in the process of purchasing Roma, does not hold the sort of stake that might lead to the exclusion of either Roma or Liverpool from European competition over cross-ownership. But as a result of Digger's efforts, Liverpool fans now know that it is principally Henry who owns their club and that, through its complex family trust, the New York Times's Sulzberger family also own a significant slug of it.
Ranson investigated
The former Coventry City chairman Ray Ranson will now sell his shareholding in the club, according to the Coventry Evening Telegraph, while the Football League is investigating his putative links with a loan taken out by Cardiff City. It is impossible to tell for sure if Ranson is behind the loan from the Player Finance Fund, since that entity is registered in the impenetrable Cayman Islands. But, paradoxically, if he is ? and it must be stressed that only Ranson, who could not be contacted, and the PFF can know the true facts ? Ranson's divestment and resignation would make it harder for the Football League to regulate the PFF's loans. This is because the League's influence extends only over clubs and their principals. The Premier League has a rule ensuring all loans against central broadcasting income must be arranged through Financial Services Authority-registered lenders. Surely it is time for that rule to be extended to all clubs and all forms of lending.
Tour� silence speaks volumes
Kolo Tour� caused a bit of a stir on Thursday with his arrival at Soccerex. The genial Ivorian at one stage led the excited assembly of journalists to believe that he might provide an impromptu press conference for their benefit. There would be much to talk about, such as when is his FA disciplinary hearing for failing a drugs test due to take place? Unfortunately, the assembled hacks got overexcited and notified the world of his presence through Twitter. Presumably after receiving a command from his Manchester City overlords, Tour�'s generous offer of a candid chat was withdrawn.
Spurs flying high
Tottenham Hotspur fans who wish to attend the north London derby at White Hart Lane on 20 April can still acquire a ticket. This is quite remarkable since, as Arsenal's sole game in hand on the Premier League leaders, Manchester United, it could be the match that Spurs do more damage to their rivals' title hopes than any other. The tickets are available through match packages from the club's sponsor, Thomas Cook. But there is one slight drawback for fans of two north London clubs who are separated by only four and a half miles over the Seven Sisters Road: you have to stay in the Europa Hotel, Gatwick, a mere 69 miles away by road to the south.
Follow Matt Scott on Twitter: @diggermattscott
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/apr/01/mohamed-bin-hammam-fifa-president
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