FIFA VP Hints Bin Hammam to Oppose Blatter Re-election

Outgoing FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon has hinted that his Asian counterpart, Qatari national, Mohammad Bin Hammam will challenge FIFA president Sepp Blatter when he stands for re-election later this year.

As of yet, the Frenchman’s revelation that he will apply for re-election for the post for a record fourth term, has gone unopposed ahead of April 1 deadline for nominations.

However, Chung wrote on his Twitter account yesterday, February 9: “I had lunch with Bin Hammam, the AFC president today. It seems he will challenge the FIFA presidential election in June.”

Chung, who will be replaced by Prince Ali Bin Hussein of Jordan, added: “A FIFA president from Asia is a good thing. We all support him.”

Chung’s claims come after numerous reports suggesting that Bin Hammam would contest Blatter’s potential re-election after the Asian Football Confederation president criticised the governing body’s operations over the recent months.

Last month, Blatter, making reference to Bin Hammam’s support of Chung’s failed FIFA vice presidential re-election, told journalists to “make their own conclusions” of how much support the Qatari had if he couldn’t command his own confederation.

Bin Hammam later made a thinly-veiled reference to Blatter’s attempt to extend his presidency to 17 years, saying that FIFA needed presidential term limits to introduce “new people, new ideas, new thoughts” to push ”the organisation ahead”.