Sepp Blatter still favourite in Fifa presidential elections barring split in Asia votes

At midday on Thursday, scandal or no, Sepp Blatter seemed certain to win re-election as Fifa’s president.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Confederation of African Football (CAF) reaffirmed their support for Blatter, apparently giving the 79-year-old football autocrat more than 100 of the 209 available votes and, it seemed, that was that.

– Whether implicitly involved or not, ‘Teflon Don’ Sepp Blatter is losing his stranglehold on Fifa

Even if Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, Blatter’s only opponent, survived the two-thirds-majority first ballot by getting at least 70 votes, Blatter would win on the second ballot, when a simple majority of 105 would suffice.

And then things got a bit weird. Or perhaps it was just that those who wish him gone became delusional.

Michel Platini, president of Uefa, asked Blatter to step down. Platini also said a large majority of Europe's 53 votes would go to Prince Ali. At nearly the same time, it was reported a Prince Ali supporter said the Jordanian had commitments for 60 votes from outside Europe.

If that were the case, Prince Ali would easily survive the first ballot, and might be on his way to … winning?

And how monolithic was Asia? Would not the 12 Arab members of the AFC prefer an Arab as Fifa president? Despite the declared AFC support for Blatter, a Football Association spokesman said “no comment” when asked on Thursday which candidate the FA backed. Australia would vote for Prince Ali, and what of Japan and South Korea?

Wither North America’s 35 votes? The US and Canada seem sure to vote for Prince Ali. Would Central America and the Caribbean island nations follow suit?

Twitter was full of the usual speculation, including a rumour suggesting that Kuwait’s Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad, a Fifa executive committee member, might throw his support to Prince Ali.

What we had, on Thursday night, were voters confronting conflicting impulses.

• Keep the status quo: Fifa scandals mean little or nothing in the realpolitik calculations in most of the world, where Blatter is a dependable quantity.

• Reconsider: If a drift away from a wounded Blatter and towards Prince Ali becomes palpable, few will want to be on the wrong side of a paradigm-shifting vote.

How will it go? Blatter, of course. Unless …

poberjuerge@thenational.ae

Sepp Blatter still favourite in Fifa presidential elections barring split in Asia votes

Would not the 12 Arab members of the AFC prefer an Arab as Fifa president? Despite the declared AFC support for Blatter, a spokesman said “no comment” when asked on Thursday which candidate the FA backed, writes Paul Oberjuerge.