Portugal no longer has a candidate in the race for the presidency of the world football body FIFA as sporting legend Luís Figo pulls out, complaining bitterly of the total control exerted by the current president Sepp Blatter.
The elections to be held on May 29 are rigged and the outcome has been predetermined, according to Figo who now refused to lend his weight to any other of the candidates saying that the whole process is neither free nor democratic and is rife with favouritism despite change urgently being needed.
Figo said today that FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, is a shadowy organisation, is corrupt and despite support from many fellow athletes, former athletes, coaches, referees and football officials, his programme for change at the top cannot go ahead.
Open debate has been stifled during the election process and Figo says that candidates have been prevented from addressing national federations at conferences with no public debate allowed.
“This election is anything but an election. This process is the delivery of absolute power to one man - something that I refuse to endorse.”
“That is why, after having reflected and shared opinions with two other candidates, I believe that what will happen on May 29 in Zurich will not be the result of a normal electoral process."
“I am deeply grateful to everyone who supported me and I ask you to maintain the will that change may be delayed, but it will come."
Reports by investigative journalists have linked the FIFA leadership with rapaciousness, corruption, and bribery, and alleged that vote rigging was involved in the election of president Sepp Blatter.
FIFA's choice to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively, have been widely criticised, with many allegations of vote buying.
The total compensation for the management committee in 2011 was $30 million for 35 people.
Sepp Blatter, the only full-time person on the committee, earns approximately two million Swiss francs, 1.2 million in salary and the rest in bonuses.
A report in London's Sunday Times in June 2014 said the members of the committee had their salaries doubled from $100,000 to $200,000 during the year. The report also said leaked documents had indicated $4.4 million in secret bonuses had been paid to the committee members following the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
