Malta Football Association president Norman Darmanin Demajo yesterday made an impassioned appeal to the European football associations to embrace change and unseat incumbent Sepp Blatter from the top FIFA post.
Mr Darmanin Demajo urged delegates to vote for Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Al Hussein in today’s much-anticipated presidential election for an association mired in scandal.
Mr Blatter, who is seeking a fifth term at the helm of the world governing body of football, is under mounting pressure to step aside after seven senior FIFA officials were arrested on Wednesday on US corruption charges in a scandal that has rocked football.
“Today was a very important day for UEFA,” Dr Darmanin Demajo told Times of Malta after the UEFA meeting in Zurich.
“UEFA’s member associations received a very clear message from [UEFA boss] Michel Platini. The time is up and we need to change.”
Addressing the UEFA meeting yesterday, Mr Darmanin Demajo called on European associations not to be indifferent. “Most of the members of the other federations live in fear but, at UEFA, we have freedom of expression. I sense that there is a high degree of indifference within the UEFA members vis-à-vis the other federations as our finances are very strong.”
The Malta FA was one of the associations that nominated Prince Ali for the FIFA presidential election and Mr Darmanin Demajo yesterday reiterated his support for the president of the Jordan FA.
“I know whom I’m voting for,” Mr Darmanin Demajo told the assembly. “I’m not telling you how you should vote but if we truly want unity, if we want to create a new page in FIFA’s history, you know what you have to do.”
Meanwhile, Mr Platini told a news conference that a majority of UEFA’s member associations will vote for Prince Ali to succeed Mr Blatter.
The influential UEFA supremo, also revealed that, during yesterday’s emergency meeting at FIFA, he urged Mr Blatter to step down in light of the scandal that has further tarnished the image of the world football body.
“I said, I’m asking you to leave, FIFA’s image is terrible,” Platini told reporters.