Asian chief wins bitter battle to hold FIFA seat
By Ossian Shine
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Reuters) - Asian soccer chief Mohamed Bin Hammam narrowly fought off a vicious challenge to his seat on the FIFA executive board on Friday after one of the most vitriolic political battles the region's soccer world has known.
The Qatari, who has held the seat unopposed since 1996, beat off the challenge of Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa by 23 votes to 21, with two spoiled papers, to put an end to the no-holds-barred fighting that has raged in the region.
Bin Hammam, who was branded "mentally ill" and likened to the head of a crime organisation in astonishing personal attacks which characterised the campaign against him, will now represent West Asia on the FIFA committee for another four-year term.
The respective campaigns had been dogged by allegations of dirty tricks, intimidation and corruption, with Bin Hammam accusing his opponent of being a stooge for his long-time foes in East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Gulf.
Bin Hammam, though, went all out to prove he was beyond reproach in the hours leading up to the congress vote and narrowly squeezed through to reclaim his place at the top table of world soccer's governing body.
My take on this: The bad guys won again. Guess that's what a bribe will do, huh? The local guys should know that. They've got a price and no brains at all. Well, birds of the same feather are cut from the same shit hole.
The Qatari, who has held the seat unopposed since 1996, beat off the challenge of Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa by 23 votes to 21, with two spoiled papers, to put an end to the no-holds-barred fighting that has raged in the region.
Bin Hammam, who was branded "mentally ill" and likened to the head of a crime organisation in astonishing personal attacks which characterised the campaign against him, will now represent West Asia on the FIFA committee for another four-year term.
The respective campaigns had been dogged by allegations of dirty tricks, intimidation and corruption, with Bin Hammam accusing his opponent of being a stooge for his long-time foes in East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Gulf.
Bin Hammam, though, went all out to prove he was beyond reproach in the hours leading up to the congress vote and narrowly squeezed through to reclaim his place at the top table of world soccer's governing body.
My take on this: The bad guys won again. Guess that's what a bribe will do, huh? The local guys should know that. They've got a price and no brains at all. Well, birds of the same feather are cut from the same shit hole.
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