Blatter the best man for FIFA job — Abedi

African football legend, Abedi Ayew Pele, is confident Africa and other federations across the world would overwhelmingly endorse Joseph Sepp Blatter for another term as FIFA President at next month’s FIFA presidential elections because he remains the “best man for the job with a global view of football”.

For Abedi, one of the world football chief’s strongest backers with whom he had worked very closely on many projects around the globe for more than a decade, football has grown across the various continents during Blatter’s reign and the sport would be in best hands into the future if the Swiss was retained.

One of the continent’s most respected football ambassadors and a member of FIFA’s Football Task Force chaired by German, Franz ‘Kaizer’ Beckenbauer, Abedi maintains that Africa has a lot to gain with Blatter in charge of world football, having championed the rapid development of the game in the continent and still remains dedicated to Africa.

“Blatter has done so much for African football; he understands very well the problems facing African football and had worked hard for the continence when he was General Secretary under former FIFA president, Joao Havelange.

“And when he became president he initiated several projects in Africa as well as the rest of the world and has helped bridge the gap in world football, through the GOAL Project which has greatly improved football infrastructure in Africa and seminars to improve the human resource base in areas of sponsorship, management, coaching, establishment of football academies, among others,” Abedi told the Graphic Sports in an exclusive interview.

He has always believed Africa’s game could rise to the level of European giants like Germany, England and Italy with the right structures and facilities in place. This is what he has been championing, apart from ensuring that Africa hosted one of the most successful World Cups in South Africa.”

Abedi’s faith in Blatter was further emphasised at this week’s Confederation of African Football (CAF) General Assembly in Cairo after African delegates reiterated their support for Blatter as he runs against Portugal legend, Luis Figo, FIFA vice-president, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, and the Dutch FA boss, Michael van Praag, for the most powerful position in world football.  

“It’s the duty of Africa to ensure that Blatter’s vision for the continent continues and comes to fruition.”

“I speak as an African and I want my colleagues to know that we have a lot to gain by retaining Blatter; “It’s about what we stand to lose if someone else takes over and abandons all the plans that have been put in place for the transformation of African football as we are currently experiencing”he stressed.

Abedi, who was an Ambassador for the South Africa World Cup bid and later appointed onto the FIFA Football Committee alongside some of the game’s finest players ever, believes Blatter towers above his contestants because he not only has a world view of football but also understands the dynamics of geo-politics of the world which enables him better appreciate the peculiar challenges and solutions for different parts of the world.

Blatter’s biggest strength as world football chief, Abedi says, is that he has a very strong passion for the game, having worked with FIFA in various capacities since 1975 and, therefore, understands the problems of each continent and what each continent needs. 

A vote for another candidate, according to the three-time African Footballer of the Year, is potentially dangerous for the game’s development.

“It is not time for a change; that’s a dangerous experiment. 

“We must ensure that whoever is coming [to take over the reins of FIFA] must first have a global view of the game and not just Eurocentric in his appreciation and approach, else the rest of the world would lag behind.

Blatter has raised football to a high level and given everyone a say, including bringing on board ex-players and actors like myself, Platini, Beckenbauer and others to be deeply involved in strategic world football matters.

“And inasmuch as I love to see an ex-footballer to be a FIFA boss one day, that person studies and understands the diverse world before we can say we want to rule FIFA” Abedi contended.

At 79, critics believe Blatter is too old and must give way to a younger, more dynamic leader to steer football into the future, especially with FIFA embroiled in a lot of financial scandals. But for Abedi in spite of the difficult times football’s world governing body has suffered in recent times, the sport has grown in leaps and bounds under Blatter to the extent that FIFA has become bigger and more powerful than the United Nations.