(MENAFN- The Peninsula) FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured) has slammed comments by Chung Mong-Joon, a candidate to take over football's world body calling it a corrupt organisation.
Blatter said he was disturbed by the South Korean industrialist's outspoken comments at a press conference in Paris on Monday where he officially launched his candidacy.
Chung went on the attack against Blatter and UEFA leader Michel Platini, his rival in the FIFA race.
"The real reason FIFA has become such a corrupt organisation is because the same person (Blatter) has been running it for 40 years. Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Chung said.
"It is disturbing, to say the least, to hear Dr. Chung Mong-Joon describe FIFA as 'a corrupt organisation'," Blatter said in reply.
"Even more so when one recalls - and as Dr. Chung cannot have forgotten - that he was a FIFA Vice-President and a FIFA Emergency Committee member for 17 years from 1994 up until 2011."
Blatter said in the statement that "personal attacks" made by Dr. Chung at the press conference were "particularly disrespectful to all concerned."
"I would like to stress again that FIFA is dedicated to improving the organisation and will continue to strengthen its governance and accountability. Our work in this area continuously evolves, and we are focused on achieving the highest standards for the international football community," he said.
Chung made several attacks on FIFA's leadership at the campaign launch in a Paris hotel saying that it was in a "profound crisis" over police inquiries into two corruption affairs.
He said Platini should not be a candidate because he was too linked to FIFA's past system.
AFP
FIFA to meet sponsors to discuss reforms
ZURICH: FIFA will meet some of its leading commercial partners tomorrow to discuss reforms, a source close to soccer's governing body said yesterday.
The meeting will take place in Zurich, the source said, although no further details were available.
FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said last month that Coca-Cola, Visa and McDonald's had written asking for information about what was being done to clean up governance of the sport and offering to meet soccer's governing body.
Valcke's announcement came after Coca-Cola and Visa urged FIFA to support the creation of an independent body to reform the way it is run.
McDonald's said it had told FIFA that its internal controls and compliance culture were not consistent with the expectations it had for its business partners.FIFA was thrown into turmoil in May when US prosecutors indicted nine soccer officials, most of whom had FIFA positions, and five marketing and broadcasting company executives over a range of alleged offences.
The charges included fraud, money-laundering and racketeering.
Visa, McDonald's and Coca-Cola did not initially respond to requests for comment on the meeting.
FIFA has set up a new Reform Committee, headed by former International Olympic Committee (IOC) director general Francois Carrard.
However, critics say it lacks independence as it is made up mostly of members of the continental confederations who also elect the members of the executive committee.
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