The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has directed its 53-member associations to throw their weight behind incumbent Fifa president Joseph Blatter for re-election on 1 June. CAF executive committee members came to their consensus on the issue at a recent meeting in Cairo, Egypt.
The members voted and the majority decided Africa should give its full support to Blatter, under whose tenure the continent hosted its first ever World Cup in 2010.
The decision to sanction its members to give their vote to Blatter could be seen as a ‘thank you’ gift for allowing the African continent to have their first taste of the global football fiesta on home soil.
Blatter, under whose tenure a lot of Fifa executives including many from Africa, have been accused of corruption, is battling Asian confederation head Mohamed Bin Hammam for another term. Hammam is specifically campaigning on the grounds of ‘a change’.
The Swiss already has the full support of European, South American and Oceanean confederations.
However, it will not be a cakewalk for Blatter who is seeking a fourth term. Kenya and Liberia have questioned CAF’s directive to endorse Sepp.
“I’m quite sure it will go the way of Sepp Blatter – it’s quite difficult to topple the incumbent in any election. “I don’t think he has done anything to mean he must be shifted,” Ghanaian FA Official Fred Pappoe told the BBC.
“Members were overwhelming in their support for Mr Blatter – he has done so well and there’s no need to change a winning team, but we’re talking about elections through secret ballot, so there’s never a guarantee.”
There is no 100 per cent assurance that all the African FAs will vote for Blatter, but it looks nigh-on certain that at least 37 federations will endorse his candidature.
First published on EFZ
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