Sports

KUALA LUMPUR — As the candidates hoping to succeed FIFA’s outgoing President Sepp Blatter continue to lobby for support, the political kingmaker who could have a big influence on who gets the job says world football has more to worry about than picking its next boss.

Having been conspicuously quiet on the topic of who he thinks should lead FIFA when Blatter stands down next year, Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah of Kuwait told Reuters that FIFA’s problems were much bigger than just the leadership.

Rather than worry about who the next chief will be, Sheikh Ahmad said FIFA’s top priority was getting its house in order before the February 26 election.

“I think the first thing we have to see is that the reforms are going in the right direction,” he told Reuters at the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) session in Malaysia on Monday.

“I think FIFA needs reforms before anything else.”

Although he keeps a relatively low public profile, Sheikh Ahmad is one of the most influential people in sports politics, holding key positions on both the International Olympic Committee and FIFA.

A former officer and oil minister in Kuwait, Sheikh Ahmad joined the IOC in 1992, and has risen to the role of president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and president of the powerful Association of National Committees (ANOC).

Earlier this year, he extended his influence into world football when he was voted on to FIFA’s executive committee, elected unopposed as one of Asia’s representatives.

Mooted as a possible FIFA president himself one day, Sheikh Ahmad has not thrown his hat into the ring to replace Blatter, leaving the other applicants vying for his endorsement.

Although FIFA has never elected an Asian as its president, the world’s most populated region has a big influence on football’s global governing body because of the high number of votes it gets.

Frenchman Michel Platini is considered the early favourite to win the election next February, but two Asian candidates could possibly challenge him.

HRH Prince Ali, who stood against Blatter at the last election, has said he will run again, and has been joined by South Korean billionaire Chung Mong-joon.

Asia’s football chief Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa last week called for the region to unify behind one candidate, but stopped short of saying who.

Asked by Reuters whether he wanted Asia to back Platini or one of the Asian candidates, Sheikh Ahmad was coy, again insisting FIFA had bigger issues to sort out.

“It’s too early to speak about anything,” he said.

“Of course most experts will be always happy to support him [Platini], but now we have to focus on the reform of the future.”

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts — Two things were certain when the New England Patriots put on pads for the first time at training camp on Saturday: The home fans sure do love Tom Brady, and the quarterback’s suspension and court case haven’t affected his accuracy.

In between raucous cheers that started when he ran onto the field, Brady was strong and precise with his passing. He completed 12 consecutive passes during 11-on-11 work, and lofted a nifty touchdown pass to Danny Amendola during a goal-line drill.

“Tom’s our leader,” Amendola said.

And he’s loved by Patriots fans, many of whom donned No 12 jerseys and chanted “Brady! Brady!” as he jogged onto the practice field. Brady raised his hand and acknowledged the crowd. He later signed autographs, then once again shunned the media.

Since the NFL upheld the four-game suspension for his role in allegedly tampering with football air pressure in last season’s AFC title game, Brady has remained mum outside a Facebook post in which he maintained his innocence.

The issue is expected to be decided in a New York court before the start of the season. Meanwhile, coach Bill Belichick and the Super Bowl champs are insisting it’s business as usual.

“You’re just trying to do what you have to do for that play at that particular time,” rookie guard Tre Jackson said, “no matter if Tom Brady or Jimmy Whoever is behind you.”

That would be Jimmy Garoppolo, the 2014 second-round pick who would likely replace Brady if the suspension holds. Garoppolo took some snaps with the first team, although continued to do the majority of his work with the backups.

Garoppolo also looked sharp, with Aaron Dobson a trusty target.

“Jimmy’s continuing to improve,” Amendola said. “He’s learning the ways of the NFL.”

The Patriots also had a new look in the backfield, as LeGarrette Blount made his debut. The running back worked with the starters after being on the physically unable to perform list for the first two days of camp.

Blount, who will serve a one-game suspension in the season opener September 10 against Pittsburgh for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, failed his conditioning test, according to The Boston Globe. But Blount declined to specify why he was out.

“I don’t know,” he said.

What, exactly, does the conditioning test entail?

“Conditioning,” Blount said.

Combine that with Belichick not speaking to reporters and it seemed like a normal day for the Patriots: Tight-lipped and led by their dynamic quarterback.

“He’s been doing it for a long time on a very high level,” Amendola said of Brady. “He gets a lot of guys going and we love playing with him.”

AMMAN — Tareq Sukhtian on Friday was crowned champion of the Jordan Karting Championship (Rotax Max Challenge) after winning the fifth and final round at the Jordan Speed Centre.

Sukhtian expressed his happiness after winning the title saying: “It was a great championship and very tough. I managed to secure the title and hopefully I’ve gained more experience.”

The Jordan Karting Championship includes several categories: Micro Max (7-10 years), Mini Max (10-13 years), Junior Max (13-16 years), Senior Max (15 years and older), DD2 (15 years and older) and Masters Max (32 years and older).

Abdullah Dasouqi won the Micro Max category while Ameer Najjar won the MiniMax and junior Max categories.

The DD2 category went to Mohammed Helo.

Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi reserved the only spot at the prestigious Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) which will take place at the International Karting Circuit of Portimão in Algarve, Portugal, November 8 to 14, 2015 after winning the Senior Max category of the championship.

 “The level of competition and the organisation in addition to the huge fan base made it an almost perfect championship. We are happy that Oman’s Al Rawahi will be competing in Portugal as he did compete well here and in Europe, so he deserves to be there,” said Othman Nassef, CEO of Jordan Motorsport.

“We are getting a lot of positive vibes regarding karting competitions and we are happy for that as many regard it as the mother of all auto sports,” he added.

The RMCGF hosts more than 300 drivers from more than 50 countries and it follows strict regulations starting with the technical specifications of the engines in which only Rotax Max kart engines are allowed. The track is 1,532m in length and 8m wide and karts average speeds of 94 km/h at the event.

AMMAN — The U-16 national football team plays Palestine on Sunday in their third match at the 5th West Asian Championship currently under way in Amman with Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iraq, Palestine and Jordan competing.

Jordan is now bottom of the table and lost their title chances after losing 1-0 to the UAE and 5-0 to Iraq.

KUALA LUMPUR — Asia’s football chief Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa called for the region to unify behind one candidate in next year’s FIFA presidential election and stopped short of endorsing UEFA President Michel Platini for the job on Thursday.

Former France skipper Platini ended weeks of uncertainty on Wednesday when he announced that he would stand for the post with the mission of restoring “dignity” to football’s world government in the wake of a major corruption scandal.

South Korean Chung Mong-joon, a major power broker in Asian football, announced that he would also be joining the race soon after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) released their statement.

Asia was a bedrock of support for outgoing President Sepp Blatter, who decided to stand down amid the worst crisis in FIFA’s history, and the number of votes from the region will make it highly influential in next February’s election.

“We have of course noted Michel Platini’s decision to stand, and he is certainly a unique candidate who would bring stability and a smooth transition to normality for FIFA in this difficult situation,” the AFC president said in a media release.

“Yet we should also remember that the FIFA president is only one part of FIFA, which is why it is so important to get the reforms right as well.

“Everybody accepts the need for change in FIFA, and in addition to changing the president much of the rest of FIFA’s organisation and the way it functions need to be modernised as well.

“FIFA also needs someone who can take the best of the past, fuse it with new ideas, and so take the organisation into the future.”

HRH Prince Ali, who lost to Blatter in the first round of last May’s presidential ballot before withdrawing, said on Wednesday that Platini’s candidature would not be good for FIFA.

Prince Ali, who is yet to announce whether he intends to run again, said FIFA needed new, independent leadership “untainted by the practices of the past” in order for proper reform to take place.

An AFC statement echoed his call for a “new FIFA and a new FIFA president”, even if the fact that Prince Ali did not have the backing of his home confederation when he took on Blatter last year indicates that Asia is unlikely to vote as a bloc.

“FIFA is in a very difficult position right now. In order to stabilise it needs leadership, experience and new ideas, but above all it needs football to be placed at its heart,” Sheikh Salman added.

“Hopefully a new president can bring many of these things, which is why it is so important for Asia to remain as united as possible behind the single best candidate for football, regardless of where they are from.”

Former FIFA vice president Chung, one of the most influential figures in Asian football, told Reuters on Thursday that he is entering the race to replace Blatter as president of football’s world governing body.

Chung, the 63-year-old billionaire scion of South Korea’s Hyundai industrial conglomerate, said in an interview he would make a formal announcement next month in Europe, which he called “the centre of world football”.

“I am going to stand as a candidate for the FIFA presidency,” he said, acknowledging he had a tough fight ahead of him. “It’s not easy, but people don’t want to be part of corruption. They want to be part of the solution.”

“We cannot leave FIFA in this kind of disgrace.”

Chung said he did not yet have the required backing of five FIFA federations that would allow him to stand, but he was confident of getting that required support.

While Platini, 60, appears to be the strong favourite to succeed Blatter, with four of the six FIFA confederations reportedly backing him, Chung said the Frenchman was not the right person for the job.

“He’s a good person, I like him very much, but if you ask me if this is a good time for Michel to become president of FIFA, right after Sepp Blatter, I don’t think this is good news for FIFA and I don’t think it’s good for Michel either.”

AMMAN — The U-16 national football team plays the UAE as Palestine plays Saudi Arabia on Friday at the 5th West Asian Championship currently under way in Amman with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Palestine and Jordan competing.

Jordan went down 5-0 to Iraq in its opening match as UAE beat Palestine 3-2 on the first day. 

The Kingdom’s team got off to a bitter start confirming apprehensions of the team’s officials who underlined that “more friendlies are vital for the upcoming agenda” as Jordan prepares following the West Asia event to host Saudi and Syrian counterparts ahead of Group B qualifiers for the 2016 AFC U-16 Asian Championship where Jordan will play alongside Nepal, Oman and Kyrgyzstan from September 12 -20 in Kyrgyzstan.

The squad only played four friendlies ahead of the West Asian competiton losing to the UAE 3-2 and 4-2 and two matches against Palestine whom they beat 2-0 after losing the first match 3-2.

India will host the 2016 AFC U-16 championship with a total of 45 nations including the hosts participating in the qualifiers, and the draw seeding based on the rankings from the last edition in 2014 won by North Korea . The 45 nations were divided into two qualifying zones — West Zone with 24 teams and East Zone with 21 teams. Eleven group winners and four best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals, with hosts India receiving an automatic qualification (total 16 teams). In case India finish top of its qualifying group or among the four best second-placed teams, the next (5th) second best placed nation will qualify for the final competition. 

Jordan was eliminated from the 2014 AFC U-16 qualifiers held in Amman after finishing last in Group D. Jordan lost to both Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia 2-1, and drew 4-4 with Syria.

5th West Asian Championship Standings

AMMAN — The fifth and final round of the Jordan Karting Championship (Rotax Max Challenge) kicks off on Friday at the Jordan Speed Centre with eyes focused on a spot at the prestigious Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF).

The RMCGF finals will take place at the International Karting Circuit of Portimão in Algarve, Portugal November 8 to 14, 2015.

The Jordan Karting Championship includes several categories: Micro Max (7-10 years), Mini Max (10-13 years), Junior Max (13-16 years), Senior Max (15 years and older), DD2 (15 years and older) and Masters Max (32 years and older).

Jordan Motorsport CEO Othman Naseef told The Jordan Times that it will be the round to watch.

“The overall winner will head to Portugal to drive against the best of the best in the karting world,” he said.

Jordan’s Abdullah Dasouqi was crowned champion of the Micro Max category in the third and fourth rounds, while Oman’s Abdullah Rawahi won the Senior Max category in the fourth round.

“We had excellent participation this season from Lebanon, Oman and Jordan, and best of all, fans enjoyed it and dedicated their time to these rounds so we expect a lot of spectators,” Naseef said.

“Tareq Sukhtian has a great opporuninty to get the seat in `Portugal if he does well in this last round,” he added.

 The prestigious Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals (RMCGF) held in Portugal hosts more than 300 drivers from more than 50 countries and it follows strict regulations starting with the technical specifications of the engines in which only Rotax Max kart engines are allowed.

The track is 1,532 m in length and 8m width and an average speed of 94 km/h.

In 2014, the Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Finals was held in Spain in which Juri Vips from Estland won the Junior Max category while Finnish Mikko Laine won the DD2 Masters with South Africa winning the nations Cup.

BERNE — HRH Prince Ali, former FIFA presidential candidate, has described Michel Platini's decision to stand for the post in February's election as "not good for FIFA".

UEFA President Platini announced earlier on Wednesday that he intended to stand in the election to choose a replacement for outgoing Sepp Blatter.

"Platini is not good for FIFA," Prince Ali said in a statement. "Football's fans and players deserve better.”

"FIFA is engulfed in scandal. We must stop doing business as usual. The practice of back-room, under-the-table deals must end," he added.

Prince Ali, who is yet to announce whether he intends to run again, said he would be consulting individual football federations in the coming week "about what is in the best interests of football”.

"What is clear is that FIFA needs new, independent leadership, untainted by the practices of the past," he declared.

Prince Ali withdrew from the previous election on May 29 after receiving 73 votes to Blatter's 133 in the first round of voting.

However, Blatter, in a shock announcement four days later, said he would lay down his mandate as FIFA was engulfed by a bribery scandal being investigated by US, Swiss and other law enforcement agencies.

The scandal has plunged FIFA into the worst crisis in its 111-year history.

The Dutch football federation, whose President Michael van Praag withdrew from the May presidential race one week before the election, said Platini was a "serious candidate" to replace the Swiss.

"There is a real chance of more candidates putting themselves forward," the federation added. "Only when these names are known will the board take a decision about its stance in the February 26 elections."

The deadline for candidates to formally present their nominations, with support, is October 26. They will also have to undergo integrity checks, led by Domenico Scala, head of the ad-hoc election committee.

BERNE — One of the most exquisitely gifted football players of his generation, FIFA presidential candidate Michel Platini likes to portray himself as an old-fashioned romantic with a mission to maintain the game’s purity.

“There are times in life when you have to take your destiny into your own hands,” he said on Wednesday, announcing his bid to replace Sepp Blatter at the helm of the beleaguered world football body.

“I am at one of those decisive moments, at a juncture in my life and in events that are shaping the future of FIFA.”

Some may wonder whether the moody Frenchman is the right man to clean up an organisation mired in a graft scandal reaching its top echelons.

Once a protege of Blatter, the 60-year-old Platini has turned into one of the biggest critics of the Swiss and been outspoken in his criticism of the corruption allegations.

“I am the first one to be disgusted by this. I have stomach trouble when I think about the FIFA problem,” he said in May.

With eight years experience as UEFA president, he may have some strong ideas about how to reform the organisation when Blatter steps down in February.

If he has said little about what should be done to weed out corruption in FIFA, his record gives clues about how he would handle the future of a game that embraces all continents and is a huge global business.

One of Platini’s first moves at UEFA was to introduce a two-tier qualifying system for the flagship Champions League, making the lucrative group stage more accessible to clubs from eastern Europe and lower-ranked European countries.

He resisted pressure to introduce technology to help with refereeing decisions, instead preferring extra officials on each goal line.

Other UEFA policies have shown a less romantic, less “purist”, more businesslike side to Platini.

Some critics have accused him of turning UEFA into a slick, financially successful and yet ultimately charmless organisation, where elite clubs have thrived and others have to sell their best players to stay afloat.

Fair play

Under Platini, UEFA has steered money and power to the clubs and leagues that are already the most established, particularly through the market pool system, where club revenue depends on the size of their country’s television market.

This has led to the same few teams dominating the Champions League, shutting out smaller outfits such as French provincial side St Etienne, who won the last of their league titles back in 1981 when Platini was in their team.

Another controversial policy was the introduction of UEFA’s complicated Financial Fair Play rules, a system yet to be proven to really achieve its aims.

Devised to stop rich owners buying success by splurging on top players, it also forces smaller clubs to sell stars to bigger rivals to balance their books.

Blatter, who denies all suggestions of corruption and is not among those indicted, gained great popularity beyond Europe and especially in Africa for his promotion of football there.

Should Platini become FIFA president, he would have to balance the influence and power of Europe and non-European football powers. At least for his early years, corruption investigations would hang over all his efforts.

Several executive committee members have been banned for improper conduct by FIFA’s own ethics committee while US authorities have indicted 14 people, some of them former FIFA officials, on counts of money laundering and bribery.

Swiss authorities are investigating the decisions to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.

The Swiss attorney general’s office says it already has 81 reports of suspicious transactions related to the decisions. Investigations could take years, leaving whoever succeeds Blatter to deal with the fallout.

Platini, part of the FIFA executive committee since 2002, himself voted for Qatar, despite FIFA’s own technical report flagging up concerns about the searing heat in the Gulf state.

However, Pedro Pinto, UEFA’s spokesman, said Platini stood by his decision.

“He’s a man of conviction, he’s a man who has always been transparent and one of the few, if not the only one, to admit who he voted for,” he said.

“He has nothing to hide and is someone who I think is respected around the world of football.”

ZURICH — Michel Platini, the head of European football’s governing body UEFA, is to announce in the next few days that he will stand for the presidency of FIFA, a source close to the former France international told Reuters on Tuesday.

The 60-year-old Platini, a former France and Juventus midfielder, has been UEFA president since 2007 and had been widely expected to throw his hat into the ring to succeed Sepp Blatter, who announced his plan to stand down two months ago.

Two officials familiar with Platini’s plans have told The Associated Press that the FIFA vice president has made a decision to try to succeed Sepp Blatter. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Platini has not announced his candidacy.

The officials said that the UEFA president has been encouraged to run by most leaders of FIFA’s continental confederations.

Five of the six continental leaders, including Platini, were in St Petersburg, Russia, last week for FIFA meetings and the 2018 World Cup qualifying draw.

Platini declined to discuss his ambitions when asked by the AP in St Petersburg.

The FIFA election is on February 26 and the deadline for candidates to formally present their nominations, with support, is October 26 and they will also have to undergo integrity checks, led by Domenico Scala, head of the ad-hoc election committee.

Platini is set to be the first serious contender to announce he will stand, two months after Blatter was re-elected for a fifth four-year term.

Platini’s impending announcement, expected before the end of the week, is likely to prompt other contenders to confirm their plans to stand.

South Korea’s Chung Mong-joon, a former FIFA vice-president, is expected to announce his candidacy next month, while Jordan’s HRH Prince Ali, beaten by Blatter in May’s presidential vote, is also considering running in next February’s election.

Blatter, who has been president since 1998, was re-elected for a fifth term in May, but amidst the fall-out from the arrest of nine football officials, including some senior FIFA and ex-FIFA officials, he said he was “laying down” his mandate.

Platini has long been the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Blatter and last week his supporters indicated that he has picked up widespread support from leaders of the continental confederations.

A former protege of Blatter’s, Platini turned into one of his biggest critics and he has said FIFA’s corruption scandal “disgusted” him and gave him “stomach trouble”.

After 17 years as FIFA president, Blatter said on June 2 he was standing down, under pressure from American and Swiss federal investigations of corruption implicating senior FIFA officials.

But the Frenchman’s own critics will focus on his support for the 2022 World Cup to be held in Qatar.

Platini, part of the FIFA executive committee since 2002, voted for Qatar, despite FIFA’s own technical report flagging up concerns about the searing heat in the Gulf state.

That may be a difficult line of attack for his two possible Asian rivals to take however, given that Qatar is part of the Asian Football Confederation.

Platini has not been linked to any wrongdoing, though his vote for Qatar as 2022 World Cup host has proved controversial. He was the first FIFA executive committee member to reveal who he voted for in the December 2010 hosting ballots that also gave the 2018 event to Russia. 

Platini chose last year not to oppose Blatter in the recent election.

“Now is not my time, not yet,” Platini said last August in Monaco when announcing he would focus on getting a third term at UEFA, which he won unopposed in March.

Three outsiders have also said they intend to run — Liberian FA chairman Musa Bility, former Brazil international Zico and ex-France winger David Ginola.

Ginola had intended to stand in May’s vote, but was unable to get the five nominations from football federations needed to be a candidate — a problem Zico has conceded he will probably encounter.