Confident Blatter wins South American backing

ASUNCION, (Reuters) – Sepp Blatter said he was  fully confident of winning another four-year term as FIFA  president as he secured the backing of South America’s soccer  chiefs on the campaign trail yesterday.

Sepp Blatter

“Sure, I’m confident. I don’t need to make a lot of  promises,” said Blatter, who faces opposition from Asian  Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam in the June  1 FIFA presidential election.

“I’m not interested in what he is doing. I have my  programme, it’s 36 years I’ve been serving FIFA,” he said in an  interview with Reuters at the Paraguay headquarters of the South  American Football Confederation (Conmebol).

“(Bin Hammam) came into the FIFA executive committee in  1996, so he was part of the construction of today’s FIFA. You  need to ask him why he wants to change that construction,” the  75-year-old added.
The Swiss was certain he could count on the support of  Conmebol despite his recent criticism of the preparations for  the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

“It was Conmebol that already in January or February 1998  made a declaration that the 10 countries of Conmebol were fully  behind Sepp Blatter,” Blatter said, looking back to his election  that year in succession to Brazilian Joao Havelange.

“Therefore, I’m fully confident that they are still in the  same mood. I don’t know why they shouldn’t be.”

His confidence was justified when Conmebol, who will  re-elect their Paraguayan president Nicolas Leoz unopposed for  another term tomorrow, announced their official support for  Blatter last night.

“South America is unanimously and resoundingly committed to  supporting the candidacy of Joseph Blatter for another period as  president of FIFA, there’s no doubt in this regard,” Argentina   soccer chief Julio Grondona told the Conmebol executive board.

“That’s how we started in 1998 and that’s how we want to  continue for the good of world football.”

SOCIAL INFLUENCE

Blatter said he wanted another term in which to finish what  he has called his “mission in football”.

“We want to be a little more (influential) in our society  … in education. What is education in our game? It is  discipline, respect, fighting spirit and fair play,” he said.

Blatter said he wanted to “go away by the big door and not  go out by the back door”.

Despite his recent reprimand, Blatter expressed his  confidence that Brazil would stage a great World Cup in 2014.

“They needed a little bit of a wake-up call and now they are  working hard,” Blatter said. “I’m sure Brazil 2014 will be a  great, great moment in international football because Brazil is  the country of football.

“I do hope I will be in shape and in position to attend this  great event in Brazil.”

Blatter had been concerned about delays in work on stadiums,  particularly in the major World Cup venues in Sao Paulo and Rio  de Janeiro.

He was concerned, for instance, about the giant Maracana in  Rio being ready by June 2013 for the Confederations Cup, which  serves as a dress rehearsal for the finals a year later.