FIFA

Tognoni: “FIFA is still deep in the mud”

The world football Association is in the deepest crisis of its history. President Sepp Blatter is locked. A solution is only through extensive reforms, says FIFA-critic Guido Tognoni in the DW-Interview.

Audio listen to
06:04

Guido Tognoni in the DW-Interview

DW: The FIFA has since the last Wahlkongress nine turbulent months behind. In what state is the football world?

Guido Tognoni: The FIFA is in a very difficult state and will be for some months, if not years, to provide the necessary stability to reach that you hoped for and expected of her.

Has Sepp Blatter still influence?

He has a lot of impact is lost. You can also sense within the FIFA-staff, that sentiment has turned. The Era of Sepp Blatter is about to end.

One has recognized, it needs reforms. There was a Commission headed by françois Carrard. The has three main points named: FIFA requires a different structure, a new culture and more transparency. It brings with it the solution of the problems?

It is the pressure of the Situation, which obliges us to Act. A limitation of the term of office is long overdue. The separation of the commercial and political area was already 15 years ago, and discussed at the time of Sepp Blatter rejected. There are mundane things. The solution can not through the paper, but only by the persons acting in concert.

A Name is always, when it comes to the candidates. This is Sheikh Ahmad al Sabah from Kuwait, one of the big movers in the Weltsport. He has said That FIFA don’t need any help from the outside. The ‘family’ to solve their problems alone. This is not just optimistic in terms of Reform.

This has Sepp Blatter always said and nothing has been solved. We must not assume that now all the dirt been publicised. The mud, in the FIFA is still deep. There will be more bad conditions are revealed. There may be further arrests to come. The investigating authorities are still at the beginning. There are sayings that the ‘family’ everything regulates itself, completely out of place.

FIFA critic Guido Tognoni in the DW-Interview in Küsnacht on lake Zurich: “Surprises are to be excluded”

Sheikh Salman has Sheikh Chalifa from Bahrain, which is also implicated in human rights Violations is accused of the favorites chosen. Is he the right candidate?

Sheikh Salman Chalifa stands for the rise of the States of the Gulf. It is possible that he wins the election. But the pressure from the outside is extremely large. That’s the difference to FIFA yesterday. The governments, the NGOs, the Swiss judicial system – all to make pressure. The needs of each new President to give in. He can no longer continue with business as usual.

The Europeans gather behind UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino. He was just the ‘placeholder’ for Michel Platini. He is the right man, FIFA to reform? His big project is indeed a world Cup with 40 countries.

That a European candidate, the 40th-WM proposes is nonsense. This is bad for football. This is pure Wahlfängerei.

The other three candidates are the only Zählkandidaten? Or can we in this Congress, even with a Surprise be expected?

I think Surprises are very unlikely. Tokyo Sexwale has a completely emasculated campaign. You don’t even know what he really wants. Prince Ali is no more the 73 votes to create the he last may, has done. These were, in large part, Proteststimmen against Sepp Blatter. With Jerome Champagne, I have a few years of working together. This is certainly a very good man. He knows FIFA inside out. He has a clear program. His major Handicap: He has no Hausmacht. He brings no Stimmenblock with.

We will be at the 26. May a Congress experience, the goals in the future is wide open or is it there so go like the last, that it was by influences from the outside quickly waste?

I would have him as a Übergangskongress call. It is the attempt, the FIFA from the emergency condition back into the normal state. There will be a new President elected. It needs a new Secretary-General. I think that both of these people in the months after the election of a certain to earn credit.

Guido Tognoni (65) is a trained lawyer. After his work as a sports journalist, he worked for eleven years as head of media at FIFA, and was then Sepp Blatter dismissed. Today, he is one of the most outspoken critics of the football world Association.

The Interview was conducted by Herbert Schalling.