Mohamed Bin Hammam appears to have all the makings of a president: knowledge of the inner workings of his political system, charisma, charm and a willingness to promote fundamental change.
If he announces on Friday at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur that he will challenge Sepp Blatter for the FIFA presidency later this year, these qualities will undergo their greatest acid test.
After largely remaining coy on the subject of succeeding Blatter, Hammam has now given his strongest indication that he will finally run against the Swiss supremo, who has held his position for 13 years.
The 61-year-old Qatari has meanwhile been on the FIFA Executive Committee for the past 15 years, working his way through the administrative ranks of football and sport within his country.
His impact on Asian football has been unquestionable: he has brought an air of professionalism to the region with a view to turning it into a financial and organisational force capable of surpassing football’s traditional power-base of Europe.
Hammam’s reform of the Asian Champions League is but one example of his long-term strategy, alongside developmental projects such as Vision Asia, backing up his rhetoric about Asia transforming into football’s new centre of power over the next two decades.
Yet despite improving the economic strength of his confederation, Hammam has his critics and is a somewhat divisive figure in Asia.
Calls for a change from Blatter’s dominance at the top of FIFA are a perhaps a little ironic given the uncouth manner of Hammam’s recent battle with Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim al-Khalifah for the spot as West Asia’s FIFA Executive Committee member, and the fact that the former Al-Rayyan chief has held Asian football’s top job for a not inconsiderable eight-year spell.
All Smiles | Hammam's charm and England's backlash could be a potent mix
However, now would appear an opportune time in many respects for Hammam to challenge, after reportedly attempting to persuade the likes of Michel Platini (who is expected to run in 2015) to dethrone Blatter.
The current FIFA President’s reputation and credibility suffered a huge blow following the voting scandal during the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid process, while the English Football Association are set to back any credible candidate as backlash for their defeat.
Though they represent only one member FIFA association of 208, it might just be that the FA’s disillusionment with the operations of the governing body is a sentiment shared by others.
Having said that, Hamam doesn’t command universal support from within even his own confederation, so one wonders what chance he would have running against a candidate as entrenched as Blatter.
Indeed, his pathway to succeeding the man he once so staunchly supported appeared for quite some time to be smooth: wait for Blatter to retire.
| BIN HAMMAM AT A GLANCE |
 - FIFA Executive Committee member since 1996 - AFC President since 2002 - Responsible for reforming a number of aspects of the game in Asia - Divides opinion within his own confederation - Recently had to fight for his seat on the FIFA Executive - Made his millions through various business ventures during 70s and 80s - Worked his way up the football and sporting administrative ranks in Qatar |
Yet the latter’s decision to prolong his tenure as president and thus renege on a personal agreement to step aside after two terms appears to have been the tipping point for Bin Hammam.
Another crucial moment and factor in the Qatari’s impending decision to run against Blatter now is Qatar’s recent World Cup bid victory.
Cynics will argue that the victory for Hammam’s home country was a compromise between the two powerbrokers, whereby Blatter would be allowed to continue unopposed.
Another plausible viewpoint might be that the Middle Eastern triumph symbols a shift in the balance of power within the corridors of FIFA headquarters and world football; Hammam may indeed have been convinced that support for a rank Asian underdog in Qatar will translate to momentum for his own campaign against a traditionalist.
His role in Qatar’s bid victory is also a sign of his influence on the executive and his ability to garner support where logically it might not otherwise exist.
Certainly Hammam will need to be confident of his ability to engage not only with Europe – where the links with Asia as a current and future market for television, merchandise and expansion is conspicuous – but also with the likes of the African and American confederations, to whom the benefits of a first Asian president might not seem as tangible.
It’s here where the Qatari will face his biggest challenge and again one can reference his lack of universal support within Asia as a stumbling block; as the cliche goes, it would be beneficial for Bin Hammam to first have his own house in order.
Having said that, Blatter would have anything but total support from within Europe; furthermore, judging by the comments of CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer and given the unpredictability of the hugely influential Jack Warner, the same goes for the Americas.
This one could go down to the wire.
0 comments:
Post a Comment