By Mike Mubanga
I wonder where certain soccer
administrators or so called analysts in Africa got the confidence that Sheikh
Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa would sweep the corridors and walk tall to become
the next FIFA president.
They got excited of news that the Confederation
of African Football (CAF) had taken a decision to support a Salman, that it was
54 block votes in the bag for the Asian, which also included one from the Football
Association of Zambia (FAZ).
“FAZ
in line with its core belief of unity of purpose will support the candidature
of Al-Khalifa whom CAF has endorsed. We are part of the African football family
under CAF and we shall follow what the continental mother body has advised,”
FAZ general secretary, George Kasengele said.
The politics by CAF to adopt block
voting was a gamble that may haunt the confederation in years to come,
especially now that the African continent’s vote has counted for nothing.
I feel it is high time that Africa stops
block voting system, unless there is a genuine reason why the Confederation
could continue giving votes to one candidate without the full approval of local
member associations.
Any FIFA president will have to work
for the votes of the CAF region in order to break the normal practice of voting
as a block, a move which will give a mandate for FA’s to vote for their
candidate of choice.
The days of block voting are long gone,
if there is a democracy and Africa believe in a democracy, then that means that
everyone who is nominated has a chance to participate and whoever votes, votes,
whichever way.
INFANTINO IS THE MAN
 |
| Gianni Infantino |
Gianni Infantino, UEFA’s general secretary, was on Friday elected to succeed
Sepp Blatter as President of football governing body, FIFA.
Infantino, who hails from
Switzerland like former president Sepp Blatter, was elected with a simple
majority during a second round of voting in the presidential election at a FIFA
Extraordinary Congress in Zurich.
The first round of voting had failed
to determine an outright winner.
1st round results:
- Gianni Infantino: 88 votes
- Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa: 85 votes
- Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan: 27 votes
- Jerome Champagne: 7 votes.
2nd round results:
- Gianni Infantino: 115 votes
- Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa: 88 votes
- Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan: 4 votes
- Jerome Champagne: 0 votes
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