Soccer-No deal done to back Platini says CONCACAF powerbroker

By Simon Evans
ZURICH, July 30 (Reuters) - FIFA presidential hopeful Michel
Platini has not secured the formal backing of the CONCACAF
region, the head of the influential Caribbean Football Union
(CFU) said on Thursday suggesting the claim was "just politics".
CONCACAF has 35 votes in February's election to replace
outgoing FIFA president Sepp Blatter and while there have been
some media reports that the governing body for North and Central
America and the Caribbean has backed Platini, CFU president
Gordon Derrick told Reuters that is not the case.
"I know that no-one has spoken to us collectively, we
haven't had a collective meeting, there is no way anybody can
have (promised) anything," said Derrick by telephone from
Antigua.
The CFU has 25 of the 35 votes from CONCACAF and was a
stronghold of support for Blatter.
Sources close to Platini suggested last week that the
Frenchman had secured backing from four of the six
confederations but Derrick was sceptical about how much real
support had been declared at this stage.
"I think it is just politics, people are trying to create an
atmosphere. If they can create an atmosphere, a perception,
sometimes perception becomes reality and you run with that," he
said.
With CONCACAF currently having a temporary leadership in
place, following the arrest of president Jeffrey Webb on several
corruption charges, talk of the organisation backing any
candidate at this stage is wide of the mark, said Derrick.
"No-one has spoken officially to any of us at CONCACAF, I'm
not certain where that is coming from. We have had no official
word from anyone on anything to be honest. I think it is a bit
premature.
"I think it is a bit fast, a bit too early. I think everyone
is waiting to see who the candidates are and what their
programmes are," he said.
Platini, publicly backed by the English, Italian and German
FA chiefs, and South Korean Chung Mong-joon have declared their
intention to stand along with former Brazil great Zico and
Liberian FA president Musa Bility.
Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan is also considering
running again after losing to Blatter in the May vote.
But Derrick said his members would need time to examine the
various manifestos of the candidates after they are formally
announced following the nomination deadline in October.
"I don't think much real discussion is going to happen in
this region until after October 26 when everyone knows who is
running and what their programmes are. It is not just a
popularity contest," he said.