It’s official! FIFA recognizes Araneta as PFF President

This appears in the Wednesday December 22, 2010 edition of the Business Mirror.

It’s official! FIFA recognizes Araneta as PFF President

by rick olivares

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, in a stunning reversal of its earlier announcement that recognized Jose Mari Martinez as Philippine Football Federation president despite being removed during the organization’s 7th Ordinary Congress last November 27, 2010, finally acknowledged Mariano V. Araneta as the interim head until next year’s elections.

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke sent via facsimile a two-page letter to his PFF opposite Ramon Manuel dated December 20, 2010, that football’s governing body upon a careful review about the procedure and enclosures that led to Martinez’ ouster was carried out within the PFF statutes and “we consider the motion to remove the PFF President Mari Martinez was accepted and that he has been replaced by Mariano V. Araneta as the new PFF president. Hence, he is to hold office as PFF President for the unexpired period of the mandate of the PFF Board of Governors until 26 November 2011, as decided by your Congress. For that same period Mr. Ismael C. Batiles Jr., is the new PFF Executive Vice President.”

Martinez was unanimously removed and replaced by a vote of 25 aye, 2 abstentions, and 2 no-votes out of the 33-member PFF at the November 27 Congress that was held at the Philsports Complex. The deposed president has been accused of falsification of public documents, the unauthorized disbursement of funds, and the failure to return the missing funds before a set deadline.

One week after Martinez’s removal, FIFA Deputy Secretary General Markus Kattner wrote to Manuel informing him that FIFA did not recognize the change in management and that an extraordinary congress must be called within 90 days time to take up his removal. An email letter to Araneta and the rest of the federation that “the proposal of removing you (Martinez) has not been properly put into the agenda of the Congress and we therefore can not acknowledge at this stage the change of presidency.”

Despite the initial vote of confidence, Martinez was unable to reclaim his old office. He brought with him several policemen on one occasion to retake the PFF House of Football in Barangay Oranbo, Pasig City. After a heated exchange, the law enforcement officials decided that the problems was “of legal matters and not a police concern.”

Martinez instead held office at his San Juan home. He also drew flack for his derisive statements about disbanding the men’s national team on the eve of their first semifinals match in history at the 2010 Suzuki Cup held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In a conversation with BUSINESSMIRROR in Jakarta, Martinez said that he was misquoted by columnist Quinito Henson who wrote about Martinez’ rebuttals in his column. “I was misquoted. All our conversations were off the record.”

While in Jakarta to oversee the Philippines’ semifinals’ campaign in Indonesia, Asean Football Federation officials who asked to remain anonymous were have said to have recommended that Martinez step down at the soonest possible time to avoid any more unpleasant and unnecessary barbs in the media.

In a statement to BUSINESSMIRROR, Araneta said, “It shows that FIFA recognizes our independence as long as we follow the statutes. And this move forward with the ideas of change and transparency that have long been missing.”

Regarding filing charges on persons accused of being party to the accusations, Araneta said, “On matter of charging and holding people to their accountability, it will be up to the lawyer to recommend to the Board of Governors about filing charges. These persons have to account for whoever is responsible for what was spent and illegally disbursed.”

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I just want to say thanks to FIFA for reading Bleachers' Brew.