FIFA president Sepp Blatter delivers his speech after being re-elected for a third term as president of the world's soccer governing body on the second day of the 57th FIFA Congress in Zurich yesterday. - ReutersZURICH (Reuters):
SEPP BLATTER was given a third term as president of world soccer's governing body by acclamation after standing as the only candidate at yesterday's FIFA Congress.
"I accept this mandate and I thank you for your continuing trust in me," he told delegates from FIFA's 208 member associations who gave him a four-year term until 2011.
Earlier the 71-year-old Swiss had told delegates world soccer was facing four evils that had to be stopped - doping, corruption, cheating and racism.
He also said that the growing trend of football-related matters being taken to civil courts had to end with Congress passing a resolution to its statutes designed to stop disputes being settled in ordinary courts of law.
"We are strong enough ourselves to settle our own affairs," he said.
He also confirmed that there was no doubt that South Africa would host the 2010 World Cup finals and repeated his widely-held belief that video technology would not be used to settle disputes in matches.
"The World Cup is staying in Africa, there is absolutely no problem about this. It is staying in South Africa. Plan A is South Africa, Plan B is South Africa, Plan C is South Africa and Plan D is South Africa," he said to loud applause from delegates.
Football was at a crossroads
He said, however, that football was at a crossroads and had to develop a greater social and cultural responsibility to deal with people who want to hijack the game and "the evils of doping, corruption, cheating and racism".
Blatter praised the Mexican FA for banning a player for life for two positive dope tests and for removing his club from its competitions.
He also congratulated the four British associations for swiftly replacing a vice- president who made disparaging remarks about African and Caribbean nations.
"Even today we have racism in football and in this context I would like to congratulate the courageous decision taken by the four British associations not to highlight a member who has recently attacked Caribbean and African nations in declarations which are totally negative and don't correspond to our concept of football," he said.
Altitude protests continue
ZURICH (Reuters):
BOLIVIAN PRESIDENTIAL minister Juan Ramon Quintana attempted to upstage FIFA's annual Congress in Zurich yesterday as protests continued against a decision to ban international soccer matches played at hig>Quintana and vice sports minister Milton Melgar flew overnight from Bolivia to Switzerland to express their country's indignation at the ban announced by world soccer's governing body on Sunday.
The two politicians stood outside the Congress hall as delegates left the building, holding up posters proclaiming that 'Football does not discriminate' and declaring that the row was a question of 'Attitude no>"We came here to communicate the interest of our president, Evo Morales, in holding a meeting with (FIFA president) Sepp Blatter for which Mr. Morales would be willing to travel in person to Europe," Quintana said.
Although they were eventually allowed into the building, the Bolivians failed in their bid to tackle Blatter on the issue and instead had to settle for a meeting with South American football confederation (CONMEBOL) president Nicolas Leoz.
Threatened with eviction
Quintana and Melgar were later threatened with eviction by Congress security staff after holding up their posters beneath a large FIFA banner for the benefit of photographers.
"We are very concerned by the ban because more than 50 per cent our the Bolivian population lives above the (2,500-metres-above-sea-level) limit set by FIFA," said Melgar, a former player who won 89 caps for Bolivia and represented the country at the 1994 World Cup finals.
FIFA's executive committee insisted on Sunday that it was banning high-altitude internationals out of concern for the health of players andto stop the perceived advantage given to teams accustomed to playing a>"We accept of course that there is some natural advantage, but the same can also be said for teams who are used to playing in hot or humid conditions," Melgar said.
