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Asian Football
Confederation chief, Mohamed Bin Hammam, has rejected claims his
candidacy for FIFA president could split soccer’s governing body and
said, on Saturday, he expected a clean fight with Sepp Blatter.

The 61-year-old
Qatari was responding to comments by German World Cup winner and
outgoing FIFA executive committee member, Franz Beckenbauer, that his
bid to unseat Blatter was “dangerous” and put the ruling body’s unity
at risk. Bin Hammam, who is credited with reforming the fledgling Asian
game and helping to secure the 2022 World Cup for Qatar, threw his hat
into the ring Friday, saying it was time for changes at FIFA after 13
unbroken years under Blatter, 75.

“I am a huge fan of
Franz Beckenbauer,” he said. “He is a football legend, one of my
favourite people in life. But why should FIFA split if two candidates
are running for the president? I always respect my competitors.
President Blatter is a colleague and friend. I won’t create or
encourage any environment that will divide the football family.”

Bin Hammam was
speaking in Bangkok where a workshop involving executives of the major
Asian leagues was being held. A restructuring of FIFA’s executive
committee, more transparency, increased funding for national
federations and introduction of goal-line technology are among his
plans if he wins the presidential vote at the FIFA Congress on June 1.

Focus on fans

Bin Hammam said he
had sufficient time to rally federations behind his campaign and his
proposals were as much about improving the game for the fans as they
were about winning votes. “It’s not about us, it’s about football and
the fans, we direct football on their behalf,” he said. “This is our
focus, they are important to us. Public opinion about how we are
working and conducting our business is very important.” Bin Hammam said
his campaign would be his last project in soccer before retiring.

Blatter and Bin
Hammam were once close friends and the influential Qatari was a major
boon for the Swiss veteran’s earlier presidential campaigns but their
relationship has soured in recent years. Despite his soft tone, urbane
demeanour and abundant charisma, Bin Hammam is a political battler and
will expect a fierce fight with Blatter. The Asian soccer boss has been
there before. He narrowly survived a move to unseat him in 2008 by a
barely known Bahraini royal, Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa.

The campaign was acrimonious and fraught with mud-slinging and
jibes, hidden behind smiles and pledges of fair play and respect. Bin
Hammam said he was confident his FIFA campaign would be different. “I
pray we can conduct a fair competition, from all the aspects, if the
competition runs fairly,” he said. “A fair decision will satisfy me and
it will satisfy Mr Blatter.”