SAO PAULO — The head of world soccer, Sepp Blatter, faced calls Tuesday to hand over the reins of an organization mired in allegations of corruption, but he also secured the backing of regional FIFA delegates gathered in Brazil ahead of the World Cup. Michael Van Praag, president of the Dutch Football Association (KNVB), conveyed one of the bluntest messages yet to the 78-year-old FIFA president, who is widely expected to run for a record fifth term in office in an election next year. Van Praag and Greg Dyke, the chairman of the English FA, openly challenged Blatter after he addressed the European delegates at their national association meeting before the FIFA Congress which was to begin later Tuesday. After Blatter had told the assembled UEFA delegates he was seriously considering standing for a fifth term, Van Praag addressed the Swiss head of world soccer, the Dutchman later told reporters. “Mr. Blatter, this is nothing personal but if you look at FIFA's reputation over the last seven or eight years, it is being linked to all kinds of corruption and all kinds of old boys' networks things,” Van Praag said he had told Blatter in the meeting from which reporters were barred. “FIFA has an executive president and you are not making things easy for yourself and I do not think you are the man for the job any longer. “I told him ‘I like you very much ... this is nothing personal. But you are now saying that Qatar was the wrong choice (for the 2022 World Cup), but you are not blaming yourself you are blaming your executive committee. “Yesterday you said something about racism against Qatar and people are not taking you seriously any more. This is not good for FIFA and it is not good for the game.” After the meeting former UEFA president Lennart Johansson, who lost a FIFA presidential election to Blatter in 1998 told reporters: “It is time he went. He has done some good things for football and FIFA but 16 years is enough.” Preparations for the World Cup, which kicks off in Sao Paulo Thursday, have been overshadowed by allegations of corruption surrounding Qatar's bid to stage the 2022 World Cup. The Sunday Times newspaper said that the former president of the Asian Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam, had used money from secret slush funds to help win votes and support for Qatar's successful World Cup bid. Qatar denies the allegations and says it was not connected to Bin Hammam, while Bin Hammam has yet to comment publicly. Labor disputes and protests sparked by public anger over how much the tournament has cost Brazil and how the country still struggled to be ready have also marred the run-up to the world's biggest, and most lucrative, sporting event. Underlining divisions within FIFA over how to manage the Qatar scandal and whether Blatter should stay on, he won resounding support from delegates from Oceania, Central America and the Caribbean during meetings in Sao Paulo. “We will all be behind you if you stand again,” David Chung, president of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), told Blatter. Members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) stood to applaud the Swiss after his address to them, as Blatter's bid for re-election built up steam despite FIFA's problems. “I thank you for this support. I thank you, and this inspires me to continue at the helm of FIFA,” Blatter told the OFC. The endorsements followed similar shows of support from Asian and African delegates in Sao Paulo Monday, and if all four soccer bodies backed Blatter unanimously, it would easily be enough to see him re-elected. — Reuters
