Blatter and Bin Hammam take Presidential battle to Miami

By Andrew Warshaw

May 2 – The next critical phase on the campaign trail for the FIFA Presidency takes place in Miami tomorrow when the present incumbent Sepp Blatter and his challenger Mohamed Bin Hammam attempt to secure the all-important support of CONCACAF’S 35 member nations.

Having already received the backing of CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, Blatter will hope the annual congress of CONCACAF – comprising north and central America and the Caribbean – will also announce him as their preferred candidate for the ballot on June 1.

CONCACAF has traditionally voted as a single bloc and its President, the veteran Jack Warner – who will be re-elected unopposed in Miami – is a staunch Blatter ally verging on kingmaker.

Warner, FIFA’s most senior vice-president, will have a crucial role in whether CONCACAF opts to keep Blatter in the seat he has occupied since 1998 or go for Asian Football Confederation head Bin Hammam.

Warner has indicated that his members are once again likely to vote together in Zurich in exactly a month’s time and both candidates will be anxiously waitiing to discover whether, like CONMEBOL last week, CONCACAF announce their stated position ahead of time.

Many outside the region believe that whatever the official announcement tomorrow – if there is one – CONCACAF may ultimately stray from its usual strategy.

The election for President is by secret ballot and there is growing speculation that the region’s vote may end up being split for a variety of reasons.

CONCACAF members were furious at the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar instead of the United States which they believed had a far stronger case, and may punish Blatter accordingly.

They became even more angry when FIFA’s Executive Committee failed to grant them another berth at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer publicly expressed his personal disappointment at the decision.

Whether these two elements combined will be sufficiently strong to work against Blatter and in favour of Bin Hammam remains to be seen.

But which ever way they vote on June 1, CONCACAF’s members – from influential nations like the United States and Mexico to tiny states such as St. Kitts and Nevis and the Turks and Caicos Islands – seem certain to have a pivotal say in who runs FIFA for the next four years.

Contacat the writer of this story at zib.l1734948565labto1734948565ofdlr1734948565owedi1734948565sni@w1734948565ahsra1734948565w.wer1734948565dna1734948565