FIFA reconfirms presidential election in Feb 2016 – Platini’s status uncertain; reform plan would curb presidency

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ZURICH, Oct 20, (Agencies): FIFA decided Tuesday to stick with its presidential election date in February, as uncertainty surrounded Michel Platini’s candidacy and Asia’s top soccer official edged closer to entering the race. With no clear timetable for Platini to challenge his provisional suspension, officials who have supported the UEFA leader’s presidential campaign — such as Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa — must now decide whether to also apply by Monday’s deadline.

Tuesday’s FIFA executive committee meeting was the first since FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Platini were provisionally suspended two weeks ago. Blatter had already announced plans to resign before being banned for 90 days amid a FIFA ethics investigation over a 2011 payment of $2 million to Platini. The executive committee confirmed Tuesday that FIFA will go ahead with the election on Feb 26. The decision came after an update from election monitor Domenico Scala, whose committee rules on the candidates’ eligibility.

Platini submitted his candidacy ahead of the Oct 26 deadline but faces being kept out over a payment of 2 million Swiss francs (about $2 million) from FIFA for work he says was carried out at least nine years earlier. Platini has challenged his suspension and is awaiting the verdict of the FIFA appeals committee. UEFA is pushing for a swift decision in appeals at FIFA and possibly the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Sheikh Salman, the Asian Football Confederation president from Bahrain, should now enter the race as part of an agreement with UEFA, his key backer told The Associated Press.

“It is a big possibility,” Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, a FIFA executive committee member from Kuwait and longtime Olympic powerbroker, said after a meeting of the ruling panel. Sheikh Salman has also written to his AFC executive committee members saying he has “recently been urged by a growing number of senior” people within the game to run for the FIFA presidency. The Bahraini royal was seeking advice from colleagues before making a decision.

UEFA officials held regular strategy talks with Sheikh Ahmad ahead of Tuesday’s emergency FIFA session, which was briefed on Platini’s status as a potential candidate. FIFA said its election oversight committee will not rule on Platini’s eligibility as a candidate — including a mandatory integrity check — until “such a ban be lifted or expire before the FIFA presidential election.” Sheikh Ahmad said confidential talks had taken place about what to do if Platini clears his name.

“From our side I think we are in a fair procedure,” the sheikh said. “At least there (are) some names and there is understanding between the continents. Myself, I trust Platini.” Should Sheikh Salman enter the race, “he will start with the same big number of potential support,” Sheikh Ahmad said. “I think there will be more than three continents.”

Aside from Platini, former FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan and former Trinidad and Tobago player David Nakhid have said they submitted their five required federation nominations. In a related story, World soccer’s scandal-hit governing body embraced reform proposals on Tuesday that would prevent anyone from holding its presidency for longer than 12 years, or past the age of 74, while giving women more say in the running of the sport. The proposals, which it termed “a work in progress”, will lead to a final report that will be considered by the Executive Committee on December 2- 3 at their next meeting in Zurich.

If the executive committee approves the reforms they will be submitted to the FIFA Congress for a vote in February. Members of the 2016 FIFA reform committee were appointed by the six confederations of FIFA and have been led by an independent chairman, Francois Carrard.

Here are the main points of the report:

■ The president’s term will be restricted to a maximum of 12 years.

■ The president and members of FIFA’s Council must not be aged more than 74 years.

■ The remuneration of the president, council members, the general secretary and all chairmen of independent standing and judicial committees should be published annually.

■ The remuneration of these officials should be “reviewed and approved by a fully independent compensation committee relying on third party compensation analysis.”

■ FIFA’s executive committee should no longer have executive powers over FIFA’s policies, and to reflect this new function it should be renamed the FIFA Council.

■ FIFA’s general secretary should be the body’s chief executive officer, implement the decisions of the FIFA Council and may only be dismissed by the FIFA Council.

■ FIFA should create a directorship of compliance.

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