(Repeating story first sent on Friday night to additional
subscribers)
By Simon Evans
PANAMA CITY, Jan 8 (Reuters) - FIFA presidential candidate
Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said that if he is elected
he will examine the role of the U.S law and consulting firms
that were hired by the global soccer body in response to a U.S.
Department of Justice probe of corruption in the sport.
In an interview with Reuters on Friday, Sheikh Salman,
president of the Asian Football Confederation and one of five
candidates running in the Feb. 26 vote to be the next FIFA
president, said a close look was needed because he was not
fully convinced FIFA was getting enough out of the relationship.
FIFA last year hired U.S. law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart &
Sullivan and New York-based crisis and communications adviser
Teneo, and the two firms have been working with FIFA's legal and
communications staff at its Zurich headquarters.
Quinn Emanuel is conducting an internal investigation of
FIFA and representing the body before U.S. prosecutors. Teneo
was hired "to work across operational and reputational
priorities," a FIFA spokeswoman said last year.
"If they are doing a good job, I don't think anyone will say
no, but you have to convince your board as to what are the
benefits," said Sheikh Salman, a member of Bahrain's ruling
royal family.
"If there is a role, a positive role for them, then that's
fine. If we feel that is too much, then I am sure that we are
going to review that," he said.
Representatives of Quinn Emanuel and Teneo declined to
comment on Friday.
Sepp Blatter, who spent 17 years as president of FIFA, was
late last year slapped by FIFA with an eight-year ban from the
game for ethics violations. Issa Hayatou has been acting
president since October, pending the February election.
RISKY MOVE
The current FIFA crisis began last May when the U.S.
indicted nine soccer officials and five marketing executives on
corruption-related charges. Since then, the investigation has
widened and there are now more than 40 people and entities
facing charges over $200 million in alleged bribes and kickbacks
tied to the marketing of major soccer tournaments and matches
around the globe.
Lawyers inside and outside FIFA have steadily gained
influence within the organization in the past seven months.
But removing the outside consultants and lawyers would be a
risky move for FIFA because the soccer body is relying on them
to demonstrate to U.S. prosecutors that it is cooperating with
them.
U.S. prosecutors have continued to call FIFA a victim of
corrupt individuals, but that status could change at any time.
If FIFA were criminally charged, sponsors and other partners
might be wary of the risks of doing business with it.
It is not clear how much FIFA is paying the two firms or
what their contracts say about possible termination. The
London-based Press Association reported last month that legal
bills combined with a drop in income from sponsors had led to
FIFA's first annual financial loss since 2001.
Salman said that if he is elected he would consult with FIFA
staff before making a decision about the firms that is in the
"best interest of the organization."
Salman's campaign manifesto outlines a plan to split FIFA
into two separately functioning entities: a business operation
and a unit focused on football events and development.
The four other FIFA presidential candidates are Jordan
Football Association president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein; former
FIFA deputy secretary general Jerome Champagne of France; Gianni
Infantino, who is Swiss and the current general secretary of the
European soccer body UEFA; and South African businessman Tokyo
Sexwale.