Blatter wins fourth term as FIFA president

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Blatter wins fourth term as FIFA president

ZURICH - Sepp Blatter was re-elected unopposed for a fourth term as FIFA president on Wednesday, shrugging off the scandals that have hit world football’s governing body to secure another four years in charge.

Blatter, the 75-year-old Swiss who has run FIFA since 1998, was voted in by an overwhelming majority, winning 186 votes of the 203 cast, and immediately pushed through changes intended the make the choice of World Cup hosts more democratic and beef up the fight against corruption.

“I’m a happy man after these very, very hard weeks,” Blatter, who at the start of the day also defeated a proposal from the English FA to postpone the election, told reporters.

Minutes after his re-election, delegates approved his suggestion that World Cup hosts should in future be chosen by the Congress from a short-list prepared by the 24-man executive committee.

Under the current system, voting is restricted to the executive committee, which critics say leads to excessive lobbying and exchanges of favors.

Congress also accepted a proposal to strengthen the ethics committee by separating the investigation and decision-making powers and another to create a new watchdog called the “solution committee.”

Blatter, the eighth president in FIFA’s 107-year history, had been due to face Asian Football Confederation President Mohamed bin Hammam but the Qatari withdrew on Sunday amid cash-for-votes allegations.

Bin Hammam was barred entry to the Congress hall, having been provisionally suspended by the ethics committee along with fellow executive committee Jack Warner.

“I will never accept how my name and my reputation have been damaged. I will fight for my rights,” Bin Hammam said in a statement.

“I thank all the people who have supported me during the last weeks and will support me further.”

Blatter himself was cleared of any wrongdoing during the electoral campaign by the ethics committee on Sunday.


Reuters


한글 관련 기사 [일간스포츠]

제프 블래터 FIFA 회장 4선 성공

제프 블래터 국제축구연맹(FIFA) 회장이 4선에 성공했다. 블래터 회장은 2일(한국시간) 스위스 취리히 할렌슈타디온에서 열린 제61차 FIFA 정기총회 회장 선출 투표에서 단독 출마해 유효 투표수 203표 중 186표(득표율 91.6%)로 당선됐다.

당초 모하메드 빈 함맘(카타르) 아시아축구연맹(AFC) 회장이 블래터의 대항마로 떠올랐으나 북중미-카리브해축구연맹 임원 모임에서 집행위원들에게 돈을 뿌렸다는 의혹을 받고 사퇴함에 따라 블래터가 단독출마하게 됐다. 잉글랜드는 선거를 연기하자고 주장했으나 투표는 예정돼로 진행됐다. 블래터 회장은 172 대 17로 무혈입성했다.

1998년 처음 FIFA 회장에 오른 블래터는 2015년 브라질 월드컵 총회 직전까지 4년 더 회장직을 수행한다. 블래터 회장은 총회 연설에서 부정부패에 대처하기 위해 FIFA의 과감한 개혁을 추진하겠다는 뜻을 밝혔다. 아울러 그동안 24명의 집행위원이 행사했던 월드컵 개최지 결정권을 208개 전 회원국에 이양하겠다고 선언했다.

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