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Sepp Blatter Wins Fifth Term As FIFA President Without Support Of Gulati, U.S.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter on Friday was elected to a fifth term after Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein withdrew his candidacy before a second vote was taken. Blatter gained 133 of the 206 valid votes during the first round of balloting, while Ali earned 73. Since a two-thirds majority was not reached, a second vote would have been needed if Ali had not conceded ( THE DAILY ). In N.Y., Sam Borden reports U.S. Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati prior to the vote said that he would have instructed the U.S. delegate to vote for Ali and against Blatter. Gulati knew that doing so "might have repercussions for U.S. Soccer in the future," especially with Blatter now being re-elected. Anti-American sentiment "is not unusual in international sports, and the involvement of the Justice Department in the arrests will not help the United States’ image." FIFA during Blatter's 17 years as President "has often operated with a culture of 'retribution,' as Prince Ali once put it, which could make it more difficult for U.S. Soccer to find allies." But Gulati has decided that voting in favor of change at FIFA "is the most important priority, even if it might hurt the United States in its bids to host a World Cup." Gulati: "Would I like to see the United States host a World Cup in the future? The answer is, of course, yes. But for me, and for U.S. soccer, better governance and more integrity at CONCACAF and FIFA are far more important than hosting any international soccer tournament. ... If being on the right side of issues costs us from hosting a World Cup in the future, that would be unfortunate. But we are prepared to deal with that" ( <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/sports/us-soccer-will-support-blatter-rival-in-fifa-election.html?_r=0" target="_blank">N.Y. TIMES, 5/29</a> ). Gulati added, "I’ve gotten to know Prince Ali over the past couple of years. He’s a very active member of the executive committee and he’s an active proponent of reform at FIFA. ... We’ve supported a number of initiatives he’s led, whether it’s in women’s rights or in development work; but it really starts with his views on governance and reform" ( <a href="http://nypost.com/2015/05/29/u-s-soccer-will-vote-against-sepp-blatter-in-fifa-election/" target="_blank">N.Y. POST, 5/29</a> )
