Asia needs ‘revolution’ says acting chief Zhang

Reuters) - Acting Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chief Zhang Jilong thinks the continent needs a soccer ‘revolution’ to rid the game of its ills. Zhang took temporary charge of the AFC after president Mohamed bin Hammam was suspended by FIFA from all soccer activity on Sunday in the worst corruption scandal ever to hit the sport’s international governing body.

Asian football, particularly in Zhang’s native China, has been beset by scandals over the last decade even as the region has developed a stronger international profile.

Zhang, who assumed control in his capacity as AFC’s senior vice-president, did not specify the problems but said the situation was not good.

“I think the Asian football environment is not that healthy,” the 59-year-old said in an interview in English on China’s state TV. “We need, let’s say, a revolution, we need reform to make more clear and more fair play environment in Asian football areas.”

Zhang earlier denied media reports that he had said that Qatari Bin Hammam remained in charge at the AFC. “Media reports published by some media organisations are inaccurate and do not reflect my position,” he said in a statement.

“I am following the development closely and given the current circumstances, I will serve as acting president of the AFC in the best of my abilities and I sincerely hope that this issue will be resolved in the best interest of Asian football.”

Bin Hammam, 62, had been due to stand against Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency on Wednesday but withdrew his candidacy before facing an ethics committee hearing into the bribery allegations.

Bin Hammam and Jack Warner, his counterpart in the North, Central American and Caribbean governing body CONCACAF, were accused of arranging to pay delegates of the Caribbean Football Union $40,000 in cash to vote for the Qatari.

Both were suspended over the allegations but FIFA’s ethics committee cleared Blatter.

The case against Trinidadian Warner and Bin Hammam, who have denied any wrongdoing, will be heard in July.

“I’m very sorry to see the current crisis in FIFA, as well as in the AFC, as it spoils the game of football,” Zhang told CCTV.

“We have to clear all this and to give more beauty and clear pictures for football development both in FIFA and AFC.”

Zhang, who was the chief local organiser for the soccer tournament at the Beijing Olympics, ran for a seat on FIFA’s executive committee earlier this year but was beaten in a vote at the AFC’s congress.

Blatter wins final FIFA term, pledges reform

(Reuters) - Sepp Blatter was re-elected unopposed as FIFA president on Wednesday, promising to use his final term to radically reform soccer's ailing world governing body.

Blatter won the backing of 186 of the 203 voting delegates after brushing aside a late challenge when federations agreed to let the election go ahead despite the lack of a rival and a series of scandals that have damaged the organization's credibility.

Even as he returned to the hall to receive flowers and the applause of the majority of voters, Blatter was facing fresh problems after Germany's influential Football Association called for an investigation into the process that saw Qatar awarded the 2022 World Cup.

Blatter, the 75-year-old Swiss who has run FIFA since 1998, did not address that issue directly but said he was determined to clean up FIFA from within.

"We will put the ship back on course in clear transparent waters," a triumphant Blatter told delegates.

In reference to the ongoing accusations of corruption, Blatter had earlier said: "We have been hit and I personally have been slapped."

With Qatari Mohamed bin Hammam having dropped out of the race -- he was subsequently suspended pending an inquiry into bribery claims -- Blatter effectively sealed victory when England's motion for a postponement was defeated by 172 votes to 17.

The actual election was a formality.

Blatter, who has repeatedly said this will be his final term, traced FIFA's problems back to last year's vote, when the inner circle of executive committee members chose Russia to host the World Cup in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.

He promised on Wednesday to shift power to award future World Cup hosting rights to FIFA's full 208-member congress, though the 2026 World Cup will not be up for grabs for another six or seven years.

He also promised a tougher "zero tolerance" policy from the ethics committee, which he said would be "reinforced and professionalized," and said he wanted a special one-day congress to examine current accusations against FIFA.

"Where does all this evil come from which is now in FIFA," he asked before answering his own question.

"It has to do with the popularity of our competition, the flagship competition, the World Cup. The attribution of the World Cup... kicked off a wave of accusations, proposals, allegations, criticism and they are still coming."

One of them is that Qatar may have "bought" the World Cup, an accusation the Qatar bid has denied.

German Football Association chief Theo Zwanziger said FIFA could not afford to ignore the suspicions, which have been denied by Qatar's bid team.

"There is a considerable degree of suspicion that one cannot simply sweep aside," Zwanziger told German television.

He promised on Wednesday to shift power to award future World Cup hosting rights to FIFA's full 208-member congress, though the 2026 World Cup will not be up for grabs for another six or seven years.

He also promised a tougher "zero tolerance" policy from the ethics committee, which he said would be "reinforced and professionalized," and said he wanted a special one-day congress to examine current accusations against FIFA.

"Where does all this evil come from which is now in FIFA," he asked before answering his own question.

"It has to do with the popularity of our competition, the flagship competition, the World Cup. The attribution of the World Cup... kicked off a wave of accusations, proposals, allegations, criticism and they are still coming."

One of them is that Qatar may have "bought" the World Cup, an accusation the Qatar bid has denied.

German Football Association chief Theo Zwanziger said FIFA could not afford to ignore the suspicions, which have been denied by Qatar's bid team.

"There is a considerable degree of suspicion that one cannot simply sweep aside," Zwanziger told German television.