The Election - Johansson vs. Blatter 
June 8th is D-Day
 
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Democrazy in World Football - A pain in the as? 

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remark: if you are interested in FIFA politics, at the FIFA www-site you can find more a documentation about the congress, in which other questions are to be discussed as well.

 On June 8th FIFA congress elects the new FIFA president, the number 1 man in World football. The first time since 1974 there are two candidates for the job. UEFA president Lennart Johannson and FIFA general sercretary Joseph Blatter fight to become successor of Joao Havelange, the president from 1974 to 1998. presidency. 
 The first time there is the opportunity for a battle of concepts, for real competition of perspectives for development in football world wide. But Football officials are not used to act democracy. They are used to deal it out before with their friends. And thus the battle has become a hyprocritical touch. And some statements indicate, the understanding of democracy is one of some centuries back, long before the one man - one vote idea... 
 
 
 		  
1. introduction
2. a certain Mr. Mayer-Vorfelder
3. football and democracy
4. the FIFA election campaigns
back to top
 
  
 The FIFA executive comitee is one of the most important instances in world football. It does not elect the FIFA president but for example it decides on the venue of the World Cup. There are various ideas how in this comitee the continents should be represented, is it the number of countries, the number of people, the number of players organized in club structures, or importance and history. Europe and South America have allowed some more other members but depending on president and General secretary they can still dominate the rest of the world. Still Europe plays the most important part. And Germany is one of the most important countries in the world of football. And one of the members of the FIFA executive comitee has been the German Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder. 

who is Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder?...
 
 
 
 

  
  Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder is minister in the German federal state of Baden-Würtemberg, club president of VfB Stuttgart, and league adminsitrator for Bundesliga. By his political connections he helped to install a new law that allows the Bundesliga an exception from anti-trust-laws concerning TV-contracts. This helped maybe the Bundesliga but for sure it helped a friend of his party, media giant Leo Kirch, in posession of the actual rights and fighting to install his digital TV on the German market. Free competition with the possibility for the clubs to sell TV rights individually to various stations would have made Bundesliga live football on free TV possible and would have almost killed plans to sell those matches for about 5 Euro a match to the fans exclusively via the new digital TV. 
 
 
 		  
1. introduction
2. a certain Mr. Mayer-Vorfelder
3. football and democracy
4. the FIFA election campaigns
back to top
 
  
  The mans (Gerhard Meyer-Vorfelder) influence in FIFA executive comitee thus has been important. But it was planned to be even more important when it will come to determine who will host the World Cup 2006. For this World Cup 2006, a Leo Kirch TV rights agency (yes, the same man) has already bought the TV rights from FIFA. It is part of the master plan to gain control over the TV market, a cartel of some politicians, some football officials, and some (even most) TV stations, an organised, designed market, not a competitive one. (note that the same politicians who want a planned economy here were among the most polemical crusaders for a free economy in anti-communism campaigns). A World Cup in Germany would boost the digital TV plans the most. For Kirch the worst would be a World Cup in South America because of the time zone shift, but this seems unlikely. But German football wants the World Cup at home also for reasons of building new stadiums and here helping the East of Germany with at least one new stadium to develop. (That's not much, it could be questioned as an alibi) 
So far the plans. 

then came the UEFA elections...
 
 
 
  
  Then came UEFA congress End of April 1998. And there was an election. And in this election Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder lost his job in FIFA executive comitee to a Maltesian candidate.  
 It had been critisized that Mayer-Vorfelder, for his many jobs, has had difficulties to be present on all scheduled events. He is also praised in the same time for his competence (he knows the clubs perspective as well as the perspective of the association) as for his little time for his league job. And he has been several times under fire in political scandals but always has scraped though.  
Now the defeat. 
Let us take a look at the reactions to gain a first impression of how the German officials dealt with a democratic defeat: 
 Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder (towards German news agency DPA):  
"In der Politik wird ja auch nicht mit   
 Verstand gewählt" (in politics people do not elect with reason either)  
"Eine Persönlichkeitswahl war es mit Sicherheit nicht. Ich habe Selbstvertrauen genug, um zu sagen, daß meine Arbeit in der Fifa hoch geschätzt wird. Im zweiten Wahlgang war es dann ein Duell Klein gegen Groß, man hat Klein gewählt. Das sollte in Deutschland sehr nachdenklich stimmen." (it was not for personal reasons - it was an election small against big, small has been elected, Germany should think about it)  
"Deutschland ist der größte Zahler. Die größten Länder sollten in der Fifa-Spitze vertreten sein." (Germany pays the most contributions. The biggest countries should be represented at the head of FIFA) 
 
 
 
1. introduction
2. a certain Mr. Mayer-Vorfelder
3. football and democracy
4. the FIFA election campaigns
back to top
 
  
 Egidius Braun, president of German football association DFB and UEFA vice-president (towards German news agency DPA):  
"Wie in anderen Bereichen ist es zunächst eine Persönlichkeitswahl. Und dann gab es plötzlich die Konstellation, daß ein Kleiner auf einen Großen trifft. Der Malta-Vertreter hat gewonnen, weil er offensichtlich viele der kleinen Länder hinter sich sammeln konnte. Sicher spielt auch immer ein Neid-Komplex eine Rolle. Man gönnt dem Großen, der in Europa so ziemlich alles gewonnen hat, nicht noch mehr." (it was for personal reasons too but it was also the effect of small against big and the Maltesian representative obviously has won because he could gather the votes of many small countries - surely an envy complex (sour grapes) might have played a role - they do not want the big one who has won so much win even more) 
 While before it had seemed commonly accepted in Germany that in democratic elections everybody has one vote and everybody can get elected (in the Bundestag the mp's become determined by the voters, not by the biggest companies/tax payers - at least it should be that way) those men still seem to live the idea of the rich determine and get determined. Does a politician like Mayer-Vorfelder disclose his true idea of democracy here? Was it just the disappointment? This kind of reactions already had been noticed after court decisions on German football (document only in German). MV, how Mayer-Vorfelder is called too, is politician and he might have had the next elections already in mind. If Germany wants to have a real chance to host the World Cup 2006, those elections are important: The FIFA presidency. 

what interests has DFB in FIFA presidency elections?...
 
 
 
 
 
  
 The old friends Johansson and Braun already had dealt it out: Johannson becomes FIFA president with the votes of the European and African associations and Germany a good shot at the 2006 World Cup. What they promised the African confederation for supporting is not known, but the Europeans all signed to vote for Johansson.  
 Then Blatter appeared to become candidate. And from now on a dealing and intimidating process began.  
Both promise more democracy and both seem to travel around the world to buy votes. Blatter seems to stand for a more world wide perspective on football, Johansson for a more European based view on the game. Europe has been able to run the business part of football very well but FIFA has watched the ethics of the game. This split of power seemed to work well during the last period. When you think of that there already have been years in which not all national champioons were allowed to take part at the Champions League qualification (this has been rechanged) you see such development can go too far.  
Blatter has won Michel Platini and Johannson has threatened to block everything in the executive comitee, including the installation of a technical director Platini, if Blatter gets elected.  
 France has announced to vote for Blatter and has been punished by accusations and threats from the Johannson campaign side: 
"close to treason" (Johannson supporters, Reuters) 
"I am disappointed about this disloyal act of the French FA" (Antonio Matarrese)" 
"With this decision France is manoeuvring itself into a position of isolation that will certainly not be advantageous to them in the future" (Ezrik)    
 
 
1. introduction
2. a certain Mr. Mayer-Vorfelder
3. football and democracy
4. the FIFA election campaigns
back to top
 
  
 Of course aim is to intimidate all other associations not to follow the French and Danish example. England is thought to vote against Johansson because of the Johansson-Braun friendship and their own World Cup campaign 2006. Some African associations have announced to follow the example. Still Johannson seems to be in the lead. 
 Accusations of misuse of UEFA/FIFA structures go from one side to the other. Promises of more democracy and transparency follow with accusing the opponent of continuing the old way.  
 You can compare the two on their web pages in their engagement for the poor, handicapped, and underpriviliged: 
Johansson vs. Blatter 
This is the promise part of their campaign. 
 You also could compare what their federations achieved yet - compare the www-pages of FIFA and UEFA (haha, there is none) for example, a statement seems to be made on modernity, progress, devotion to fans etc. 
 But the last remark seems a bit polemical itself. Without knowing what really goes on and is thought behind the scenes, who really has been responsible for what and what other deals are involved and whose interests... 

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