Blatter mum on Rummenigge's call for revolution





World football supremo Joseph Blatter on Wednesday did not want to comment on an attack by European Club Association leader Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on corruption in the ruling body FIFA and his call for a revolution from club level.

"No comment," Blatter told a news conference in Rio ahead of Saturday's World Cup qualifying round draw.

British daily The Guardian on Wednesday quoted Rummenigge as speaking of a "daily corruption process at FIFA."

"I don't accept any longer that we (should be) guided by people who are not serious and clean," he said. "Now is the moment to intervene. Because knowing something is wrong is an obligation to change.

"It's time for democracy, transparency and the right balance in the football family," said Rummenigge.

"I will give them a chance but I'm ready for a revolution if that's the only way to come to a solution."

FIFA has been rocked by corruption allegations around the 2018 and 2022 World Cup election process. On Saturday, FIFA banned executive Mohamed bin Hammam of Qatar for life for alleged bribery in the presidential election run-up.

Hamman was set to run against Blatter on June 1 but quit a few days earlier over the allegations. Blatter won a fourth term in office and pledged more transparancy.

Blatter on Wednesday did also not want to comment on the ruling by the FIFA ethics committee. He insisted he was "not a dictator ... I am not alone, I work together with the executive committee."

However, Rummenigge said change could come neither from Blatter/FIFA nor the national federations because the current situation suited both.

"Sepp Blatter is saying (that he's cleaning up shop) but the fact that no one believes him tells you everything you need to know. I'm not optimistic because they believe the system is working perfectly as it is. It's a money machine, World Cup after World Cup. And for them, that's more important than serious and clean governance."

"The current system is tailor-made for the associations and voted for by the associations. They won't go against (Fifa)."

Rummenigge, 55, who is also Bayern Munich chairman, heads the ECA which represents more than 200 clubs on the continent. He said not only top clubs such as Munich, Manchester United or Real Madrid were calling for change, but all clubs.

Rummenigge said that all stakeholders - "clubs, associations, players, referees, and women's football" - must be represented in decision-making bodies.

Rummenigge reiterated that clubs and not countries were paying player wages and lashed out at an overblown calendar.

"When I won the European Championship (in 1980), there were eight teams in the finals. That figure will treble by 2016. In the World Cup, it used to be 16 teams, now it's 32.

"The clubs pay the players but are not part of the decision-making process. We are not treated respectfully," he said.



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